Earliblue Blueberries
By: Anonymous

About

'Earliblue' is an upright, vigorous bush that produces good quality, sweet fruit early in the season. This deciduous shrub is dense with an upright, multiple-branched growth habit. Leaves are elliptical, and can be toothed or entire, to 3 inches long, turning red or yellow in the fall. White, sometimes pink tinged flowers to 1/2 inch across are held in pendant terminal racemes. Flowers are followed by edible, sweet, round, deep blue berries to 1/2 inch across. Many varieties are available, check for the ones that are best suited to your local area. Blueberries love acid soil.

Information
Translations: Earliblue mellenēm, Earliblue vaivorai, Afinele Earliblue, Earliblue Borovnice, Earliblue quất, Earliblue Borówki, Bosbessen Earliblue, Earliblue ब्लूबेरी, Earliblue голубика, Earliblue Προσκοπίνες, Earliblue العنب البري, Earliblue 블루베리, Earliblue Borůvky, Еарлиблуе Боровнице, Earliblue blueberries, Earliblue蓝莓, Earliblue nabius, Earliblue Borovnice, Earliblue Čučoriedky, Earliblue Mirtilli, Earliblue אוכמניות, Earliblue blåbär, Earliblue Blueberry, Earliblueブルーベリー, Earliblue Bleuets, Earliblue Heidelbeeren, Earliblue Blåbær, Earliblue Blåbær, Earliblue arándanos, Earliblue лохина, Earliblue Mustikat, Earliblue боровинки


Physical Description
Light blue, large berries, growing on thick red canes with dark shiny green leaves.  Berry are firm and resist cracking.
Colors: Light blue "frosty" appearance over dark-blue berries.


Tasting Notes
Flavors: Very sweet, mild blueberry flavor
Mouthfeel: Firm berry with soft, Fleshy center.
Food complements: Makes wonderful muffins and other quick-breads; complements vanilla ice cream; good plain with qhipped cream.
Wine complements: Good with mild, Sweet white wine or with rose.
Beverage complements: Nice addition to fruit punch, Particularly berry blends.
Substitutes: Sunshine blue, Berkeley, O'neal


Selecting and Buying
Seasonality: may, june, july
Peak: june
Choosing: Large, firm but not hard berries that are uniformly light blue in color.
Buying: Earliblue blueberries can be purchased in grocery stores where available, also at the local farmer's market or whole foods stores.
Procuring: Plant bushes in loosely cultivated, acidic soil, Avoid fertilizing when berries are ready or.  Keep soil loose and well-drained.  Bushes grow to six feet tall and about three feet across.  Prune when plants are dormant.


Preparation and Use
Earliblue may be eaten fresh or cooked any number of ways and are often added to pancakes and muffins or made into jam, jelly, sauce, pie and cobbler.
Cleaning: Gently scrub berries with plenty of cold water to remove dirt and pesticides.


Conserving and Storing
May be stores up to two weeks in the refrigerator or may be frozen for later use although freezing changes the appearance sometimes make berries wrinkly.


Social/Political

History: Released in 1952.