May’s Fruit of the Month is blueberry! It is a versatile classic and known superfruit with a sweet yet floral tang. Blueberries can stand alone as the primary flavor in a wide array of applications from baked goods from muffins to pies or in drinks from vodka tonics to lemonades.
We are excited to dive into all the juicy details, pairing options, and available products to help you best utilize this rich, delicious fruit for your products!
Northwest Naturals Products Available
We have a wide range of blueberry products available, including blueberry juice blends. If you seek a juice blend not yet listed, we are ready to help you create it! Visit our blog post on creating custom blends for more details. Contact us to find out which option works best for your applications.
- Blueberry Juice Concentrate
- Blueberry Essence
- Concentrate Blends
- Blueberry JC WONF (Juice Concentrate with other Natural Flavors)
- Blueberry Raspberry JC WONF
- Blueberry JC WONF – Maple Type
- Blueberry Lemon JC WONF
- Organic Blueberry Juice Concentrate
- Organic Blueberry JC WOOF (Juice Concentrate with other Organic Flavors)
Season
Blueberries thrive with clear skies, hot days, and cool nights but are reliable and harvested year-round as we source them from different regions. For our community in North America, the freshest blueberry harvest is from April to early October but optimal from early June to early August. If you are working on a strict timeline but desire a specific flavor, contact us, and we will work with you to create your ideal product before your deadline.
Flavor Profiles
In addition to its naturally attractive blue color, blueberries have a flavor just as appealing. Blueberry flavor is dynamically layered with fruity, sweet-tart, bright, floral, and fresh notes. Reminiscent of a jammy pie-filling, blueberries provide a delicious creaminess that makes it unique from other sweet-tart fruits.
Pairing Suggestions
The dynamic layers of blueberries make it work well with many culinary genres. For herbs and savory dishes, you can nicely pair blueberries with cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, basil, mint, rosemary, and vanilla for sauces intended for beef, pork, duck, and other game. To capitalize on its more fruity characteristics, pair blueberries with citrus and other fruits like banana, peach, apricot, mango, and other berries.
The jamminess of blueberries can also compliment the creaminess of cheese and nuts like hazelnut, walnut, macadamia, almond, and coconut. Because of this, blueberries are a must-have for charcuterie boards!
Applications for Blueberry
The versatility of blueberries makes it a guaranteed crowd-pleaser and a fun, creative way to broaden your business’ product range. Blueberries are popular in beverages, alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Juices, cocktails, mocktails (these are on the rise!), smoothies, kombuchas, and milkshakes are easy canvases for straight blueberry or custom blends. Desserts and pastries, from scones to ice cream, can be elevated with a blueberry filling or sauce, as can savory dishes. Use blueberry juice for salad dressings, pasta sauce, or marinades on salmon, beef, and game. Other ideas include adding it to oatmeal, yogurts, and cereal. The list goes on! For more application ideas for blueberries and more, visit our website.
Request a Juice Sample Today!
Ready to craft your next bestseller? Request free juice samples and order products by creating a free Northwest Naturals account. It is a quick and easy way to gain a team of specialists ready to support all your flavor needs. Get started on your blueberry crowd-pleaser, and request a free sample today!