by Chef Justin Timineri Florida's Culinary Ambassador

If you are eating plenty of blueberries, you can bet your body isn’t singing the blues. Those sweet, tangy little berries are packed with antioxidants to neutralize free radicals—unstable oxygen molecules associated with cancer, heart disease, and the effects of aging.

“The word is out about the health benefits of blueberries, and growers are seeing increased demand for their product,” said Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson. It’s no wonder these perennial favorites are only growing in popularity. They are bursting with nutrients. Plus, they are delicious, satisfying and so low in calories that even dieters can enjoy them.

The Florida blueberry season starts in mid-to-late March and ends in June. Most of the state’s commercial blueberry acreage can be found in Bay, Hamilton, Suwannee, Columbia, Alachua, Marion, Lake, Polk, Hillsborough and Highlands counties. In 2004, Florida’s cash receipts for blueberries totaled more than $25 million.

Blueberries do not ripen once they have been harvested, so make sure the berries you choose are deep blue-gray without any hint of red. Shake the container gently to check that the berries move freely. If they do not, they might be mushy or moldy. Ripe blueberries should be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator, where they will keep for up to a week. Before refrigerating, sort through the berries and remove any that are moldy or damaged. Berries should not be washed until just prior to use.

Florida Blueberry Cobbler

For filling
1 stick butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 cups fresh Florida blueberries, rinsed and drained
1 cup sugar

For topping
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
1⁄2 cup of milk

Accompaniment
Fresh whipped cream or vanilla
ice cream

To prepare the filling:

Preheat oven to 375°F Place the butter in an 8 x 8-inch square glass baking dish (no substitutes), and melt the butter in the microwave. In a mixing bowl, combine lemon juice and blueberries. Add the sugar and mix well. Add the blueberry mixture to the baking dish with the melted butter. Do not stir.

Make topping:

Combine all of the topping ingredients in a small bowl. Pour this mixture over the blueberries and bake 45 minutes, or until brown.

Blueberry-lemon Corn Muffins

Paper muffin cup liners
1⁄2 stick (1⁄4 cup) unsalted butter
3⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
11⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 cup yellow cornmeal
1⁄2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1⁄2 cup whole milk
2 large egg yolks
1⁄2 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 375°F and line six 1/3-cup muffin cups with paper liners.

Melt butter and cool. Into a large bowl sift together flour and baking powder and whisk in cornmeal, 1/2 cup sugar, lemon zest and a generous pinch salt. In a bowl whisk together melted butter, milk and yolks, and add to flour mixture with half of blueberries, gently stirring until just combined.

Divide batter evenly among cups (batter will fill cups) and press remaining blueberries into tops of muffins. Sprinkle tops of muffins evenly with remaining tablespoon sugar. Bake muffins in middle of oven about 15 minutes, or until tops are golden and a tester comes out clean. Remove muffins from cups and cool on a rack. Muffins keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days.