Two of summer’s best flavors marry to create a wonderful summertime drink. This Rhubarb and Strawberry Cordial checks off all of the boxes one would expect to find in a non-alcoholic summertime drink. It’s super tasty, has fabulous color, is refreshing and thirst-quenching, and can be made ahead and frozen. Continue reading Rhubarb and Strawberry Cordial→
Lemonade is always a lovely refreshing and thirst-quenching summertime drink. And, of course, nothing beats the made-from-scratch lemonade. I always have lots of cold drinks on hand during the hot summer days, including this Rhubarb Peach Lemonade. Continue reading Rhubarb Peach Lemonade→
When the summer days are hot and thirst takes over, a tall glass of refreshing lemonade is just what is called for. Strawberry and rhubarb are always a winning flavour combination and they team up to make a wonderful Strawberry and Rhubarb Lemonade. There is no need for any addition of coloring in this drink as the deep red strawberries and bright red rhubarb impart their own shades into this colorful drink.
Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade
This is one of those drinks I make when the strawberries and rhubarb are in season because this lemonade freezes very well in an airtight container. This makes it a great drink to have on hand for those hot summer days.
Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade
Serve the lemonade plain over ice or half fill a glass with the lemonade and top it up with your favorite clear soda. If so inclined, an ounce of your favorite libation may be added to the lemonade.
[Printable recipe follows at end of post]
Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade
Ingredients:
1½ cups water
1 cup super-fine sugar (aka caster sugar or instant dissolving sugar)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp coarsely grated lemon rind
¾ lb rhubarb, chopped into 1” chunks
1 cup water
1/3 cup super-fine sugar
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1¼ cups water
Pinch salt
Method:
For the simple syrup: In small saucepan, combine the 1½ cups water and 1 cup sugar together. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is completely dissolved. Reduce heat to medium-low and boil gently for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature (apx. 30-40 minutes). Add the lemon juice and lemon rind. Let mixture stand for at least an hour (or up to three hours) to allow the flavor to develop. Strain mixture twice through a fine mesh sieve to remove the lemon pulp and rind. Discard the pulp and rind.
For the rhubarb and strawberry juice: Combine the rhubarb, 1 cup of water and sugar in a large pot. Cover and bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for approximately 5 minutes. Add the strawberries and 1¼ cups water along with a pinch of salt. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes longer, or until rhubarb and strawberries are softened. Remove from heat and let stand for about 20 minutes. Use a food masher to loosely mash and break down the pulp. Place a large fine wire mesh sieve over a heatproof bowl. Line the sieve with a double layer of dampened cheesecloth. Pour the rhubarb and strawberry mixture into the sieve, letting the juice drip through. Use the back of a large spoon to very gently press the pulp in order to extract as much of the juice from the fruit as possible. Discard solids.
To assemble: In large jug or bottle, combine the simple syrup with the strained rhubarb and strawberry juice. Stir well. Chill.
To serve: Stir the chilled lemonade. Fill a glass approximately one-half full of ice cubes and add the lemonade. Garnish with a lemon wheel or fresh strawberry, if desired.
Additional Serving Suggestions:
Fill glass one-half full of lemonade. Top with sparkling water or clear soda such as lemon-lime, sprite, or grapefruit. Finish with ice cubes and a sprig of fresh mint.
Add 1 oz of your favorite libation to a glass half-filled with ice cubes. Top with lemonade. Garnish with lemon wedge and strawberry.
Lemonade will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Freezes well in airtight container.
Yield: Approximately 5-6 cups, depending on water content in fruit
With a perfect blend of sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb, this Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade is a refreshing and thirst-quenching summertime sipper.
Servings6
My Island Bistro KitchenMy Island Bistro Kitchen
Ingredients
1½cupswater
1cupsuper-fine sugar(aka caster sugar or instant dissolving sugar)
1cupfreshly squeezed lemon juice
2tbspcoarsely grated lemon rind
¾lbrhubarb,chopped into 1” chunks
1cupwater
1/3cupsuper-fine sugar
2cupsfresh strawberries,sliced
1¼cupswater
Pinchsalt
Instructions
For the simple syrup: In small saucepan, combine the 1½ cups water and 1 cup sugar together. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is completely dissolved. Reduce heat to medium-low and boil gently for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature (apx. 30-40 minutes). Add the lemon juice and lemon rind. Let mixture stand for at least an hour (or up to three hours to allow the flavor to develop. Strain mixture twice through a fine mesh sieve to remove the lemon pulp and rind. Discard the pulp and rind.
For the rhubarb and strawberry juice: Combine the rhubarb, 1 cup of water and sugar in a large pot. Cover and bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for approximately 5 minutes. Add the strawberries and 1¼ cups water along with a pinch of salt. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes longer, or until rhubarb and strawberries are softened. Remove from heat and let stand for about 20 minutes. Use a food masher to loosely mash and break down the pulp. Place a large fine wire mesh sieve over a heatproof bowl. Line the sieve with double layer of dampened cheesecloth. Pour the rhubarb and strawberry mixture into the sieve, letting the juice drip through. Use the back of a large spoon to very gently press the pulp in order to extract as much of the juice from the fruit as possible. Discard solids.
To assemble: In large jug or bottle, combine the simple syrup with the strained rhubarb and strawberry juice. Stir well. Chill.
To serve: Stir the chilled lemonade. Fill a glass approximately one-half full of ice cubes and add the lemonade. Garnish with a lemon wheel or fresh strawberry, if desired.
Additional Serving Suggestions:
Fill glass one-half full of lemonade. Top with sparkling water or clear soda such as lemon-lime, sprite, or grapefruit. Finish with ice cubes and a sprig of fresh mint.
Add 1 oz of your favorite libation to a glass half-filled with ice cubes. Top with lemonade. Garnish with lemon wedge and strawberry.
Lemonade will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Freezes well in airtight container.
Recipe Notes
Yield: Approximately 5-6 cups, depending on water content in fruit
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Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade
For other great lemonade recipes from My Island Bistro Kitchen, click on the links below:
One of the wonderful things about lemonade is that it can be served simply as is or it can be flavoured with fruits in season such as I am doing today by making Strawberry Lemonade. How fabulous is that natural red color in the lemonade! Continue reading Sensational Strawberry Lemonade Recipe→
Lemonade is one of the most common of summer drinks. Served cold, it’s very refreshing on a hot summer’s day. Sometimes, I like to flavour my lemonades as I am doing today with rhubarb in the form of Rhubarb Lemonade. Continue reading Rhubarb Lemonade→
My newly-created Island Summer Blush Cocktail is packed full of flavours that speak of springtime and early summer — rhubarb, lime, clementine, elderflower liqueur, and fizzy Prosecco.
Island Summer Blush Cocktail
One of the key ingredients in this drink is my homemade rhubarb cordial. I have been making this cordial for many years and I continually find new ways to use it. We have a good-sized patch of rhubarb and, each spring, I make batches of this cordial and, what I don’t use at the time, I freeze for use at other times of the year. Click here for my rhubarb cordial recipe.
Rhubarb Cordial
My choice of elderflower liqueur was inspired by the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018. Prior to the wedding, it was announced that the flavours of the wedding cake would be lemon and elderflower. I combined those two flavours and developed my own recipe for a lemon and elderflower cake, the recipe for which you can find by clicking here. I then thought I would create a cocktail, using elderflower liqueur, to commemorate the royal event and thus was born the Island Summer Blush Cocktail.
Island Summer Blush Cocktail
Elderflower liqueur is made with the delicate starry white elderflower blossoms. It has complex notes and a somewhat seductive fragrance. I would describe this liqueur as a layered fusion of floral, tropical, and citrus notes. It certainly has exotic character and reminds me of a floral summer bouquet with fruity notes. Its light, floral profile makes it a great match for sharper flavours like rhubarb and citrus fruits. It marries well with sparkling wines and lends itself to a multitude of cocktail concoctions.
Island Summer Blush Cocktail
This cocktail is easy to make. Simply combine the rhubarb cordial (no substitutes), clementine and lime juices, and elderflower liqueur in a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice cubes then shake the mixture for 15-20 seconds or until condensation forms on the outside of the shaker indicating the mixture is super cold. Strain the mixture into your fancy glass of choice then add the Prosecco. Carefully tilt the glass slightly and slowly pour in the grenadine along the side of the glass. The grenadine should sink to the bottom of the glass giving the cocktail that lovely layered look. Garnish with a wedge of clementine.
Island Summer Blush Cocktail
The beautiful natural color of this cocktail reminds me of a blushing bride so, made with my Island rhubarb, flavoured with the elderflower flavour made trendy by the 2018 royal wedding, this is my Island Summer Blush Cocktail. A perfect spring and summer cocktail to leisurely enjoy.
Island Summer Blush Cocktail
[Printable recipe follows at end of posting]
Island Summer Blush Cocktail
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Rhubarb Cordial
1 oz freshly squeezed clementine juice (about 2 clementines)
½ oz Elderflower Liqueur
1 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2 oz Prosecco
2 tsp Grenadine
Method:
Pour Rhubarb Cordial, clementine juice, Elderflower Liqueur, and lime juice into shaker and fill with ice cubes. Shake for about 15-20 seconds then strain into glass. Top with Prosecco. Tip glass slightly and slowly pour Grenadine in down the side of the glass. Garnish with a clementine wedge. Serve immediately.
This Island Summer Blush Cocktail is a beautiful balance of sharp and sweet flavours. With a blend of rhubarb cordial, elderflower liqueur, citrus fruit juices, grenadine, and Prosecco, this is a lovely cocktail to especially enjoy in summer.
Pour Rhubarb Cordial, clementine juice, Elderflower Liqueur, and lime juice into shaker and fill with ice cubes. Shake for about 15-20 seconds then strain into glass. Top with Prosecco. Tip glass slightly and slowly pour Grenadine in down the side of the glass. Garnish with a clementine wedge. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
For my recipe for Rhubarb Cordial, follow this link: http://myislandbistrokitchen.com/2013/06/24/rhubarb-cordial/
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Island Summer Blush CocktailIsland Summer Blush Cocktail
Smoothies are such a great and tasty way to eat fruit and yogurt, making them healthy choices. And, they are very filling. They are great for breakfast, summer barbeques, as a transportable breakfast-on-the-go, or just anytime as a nutritional drink.
Blueberry and Tropical Fruit Smoothie
I am not far from Tryon Blueberries U-Pick, a high bush blueberry farm in central PEI and, when they are in season, I have a steady diet of these blueberries.
High Bush Blueberries
I freeze a quantity of them for use in smoothies throughout the year.
High Bush Blueberries
Basically, any fruit you like can be combined into a smoothie. For this recipe, I have chosen to feature the local blueberries but I also add in some other fruits that pair particularly well with blueberries. These include mango, papaya, and banana. The great thing about smoothies is that they can be made with fresh or frozen fruits. I often bag up fruits when they are in season locally and freeze them in just the right sized portions for smoothies. This makes it quick and easy to prepare the smoothies which is great because, as we all know, if something is overly laborious, well….it often just does not happen.
Blueberry and Tropical Fruit Smoothie
Smoothies are so easy to make. A blender or smoothie maker is needed for this recipe. Simply combine all the ingredients into the blender and process the mixture until desired smoothness is reached.
For sweetener, I use 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup. This natural liquid sweetener blends better than sugar. Reduce the amount of maple syrup if you like a less sweet drink. I also add in about 1 1/2 tablespoons of ground chia seeds. Whole chia seeds may be used but the ground seeds make for a smoother drink and are a better alternative for those who can’t easily digest seeds. Chia is loaded with good health benefits like fibre, omega 3 fats, protein, vitamins, and minerals.
Blueberry and Tropical Fruit Smoothie
The yogurt I have used in this smoothie is a Mediterranean-style lavender yogurt. Lavender pairs very well with blueberries. Don’t be put off by this flavor thinking it will be like perfume. This yogurt is very gently flavored with lavender and it is not at all strong in either the lavender flavor or scent. It does, however, add a subtle layer of flavor to the smoothie. Plain Greek-style yogurt can, of course, be substituted but, if the lavender yogurt is available in your area, I recommend giving it a try.
Blueberry and Tropical Fruit Smoothie
Any kind of fruit juice can be used in this smoothie. I have made it with plain orange juice which is very good but it is super tasty if made with a mango-citrus blend of juice or a tropical fruit juice. If possible, I try to add juice that has the flavor of at least one or more of the fruits I am blending into the smoothie. I don’t add any ice cubes to this smoothie because I find they can dilute the flavor. Make sure the fruit juice is good and cold and the smoothie will be just the right temperature for drinking without adding any ice.
Garnishes are optional but they do dress up the smoothie. If using garnishes, choose fruits that are in the smoothie as I have done here with the blueberries, mango, and papaya.
Blueberry and Tropical Fruit Smoothie
This smoothie recipe will yield approximately 4 cups which is about two good servings or, for smaller portions, four 1-cup servings are possible. This really is a meal in a glass – it provides servings of fruit, yogurt, and liquid content. This smoothie is best served as soon as it is made because it has banana in it and it can produce quite a strong flavor if left to sit and it can take over and become the predominant flavor in the drink.
[Printable recipe follows at end of posting]
Blueberry and Tropical Fruit Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups fruit juice (e.g., mango-citrus, orange juice, etc.)
1½ cups high bush blueberries (fresh or frozen)
½ cup mango, coarsely chopped (fresh or frozen)
½ cup papaya, coarsely chopped (fresh or frozen)
½ large banana, sliced
½ cup Mediterranean-style lavender yogurt (or plain Greek-style yogurt)
2 tbsp maple syrup
1½ tbsp ground chia seeds
Method:
Combine all ingredients, in order given, in blender and process until well blended and smooth. Pour into glasses. Garnish with skewer of fresh blueberries, mango, and papaya. Serve immediately.
Kickstart your day with this super tasty blueberry and tropical fruit smoothie made with lavender yogurt and mango-citrus fruit juice
Ingredients
1 2/3 cups fruit juice (e.g., mango-citrus, orange juice, etc.)
1½ cups high bush blueberries (fresh or frozen)
½ cup mango, coarsely chopped (fresh or frozen)
½ cup papaya, coarsely chopped (fresh or frozen)
½ large banana, sliced
½ cup Mediterranean-style lavender yogurt (or plain Greek-style yogurt)
2 tbsp maple syrup
1½ tbsp ground chia seeds
Instructions
Combine all ingredients, in order given, in blender and process until well blended and smooth. Pour into glasses. Garnish with skewer of fresh blueberries, mango, and papaya. Serve immediately.
For another refreshing blueberry drink, try thisrecipefor Blueberry Lemonade
If you have made this recipe and enjoyed it and/or wish to share it with your friends and family, please do so on social media but be sure to share the direct link to this posting from my website.
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Making homemade Irish Cream Liqueur is very easy – it’s a matter of simply combining all the ingredients in a blender and blending on high for 25-30 seconds. Easy-peasy.
This liqueur will keep, tightly sealed in a sterilized bottle, in the refrigerator for the length of time the fresh cream used in the recipe will stay fresh as noted on the cream carton or bottle.
It’s important to shake the liqueur well before using . This liqueur serves well over ice or mixed with eggnog (1 part liqueur to 2 parts eggnog). Of course, it can also be used in a multitude of other ways as well, such as a flavorful coffee creamer.
Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur
Presented in decorative bottles, this liqueur makes a wonderful host or hostess gift.
Method:
Combine all ingredients in blender and blend on high for apx. 25-30 seconds, just until ingredients are blended. Transfer liqueur to sterilized decorative bottle. Seal tightly.
Store in refrigerator for the length of time the fresh cream used in the recipe is “best before”. Shake liqueur well before serving.
To serve, pour liqueur into glass and add ice.
Yield: Apx. 1 litre
Serving Suggestion: Pour 1 part liqueur into glass and top with 2 parts eggnog. Add ice and serve.
Combine all ingredients in blender and blend on high for apx. 25-30 seconds, just until ingredients are blended. Transfer liqueur to sterilized decorative bottle. Seal tightly.
Store in refrigerator for the length of time the fresh cream used in the recipe is “best before”. Shake liqueur well before serving.
If you have made this recipe and enjoyed it and/or wish to share it with your friends and family, please do so on social media but be sure to share the direct link to this posting from my website.
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Lemonade is a wonderful refreshing drink on a hot summer’s day. Sometimes I like just plain old-fashioned lemonade and, other times, I like to flavor it using whatever berries are currently in season. My latest lemonade creation uses high bush blueberries to make blueberry lemonade concentrate. Fill a glass about one third full of the concentrate and top it up with lemon-lime soda for a tasty drink. You can, of course, top up the concentrate with lemon-flavored sparkling water instead of the soda. Continue reading Blueberry Lemonade Recipe→
Strawberry Slush is my newest summer drink creation and it has quickly become a favorite! Strawberries take center stage in this beverage but there is also a mix of other fruit juices that include rhubarb, pineapple, lemon and orange juices, and some pink lemonade. The addition of Epicure’s “Summer Berry” sweet dip mix deepens the flavor and adds some interesting speckles throughout the slush. Because I know Epicure products may not be available everywhere, I have included this as an optional addition as the slush will still taste quite fine without it. My recipe calls for gin and any brand may be used. Continue reading Strawberry Slush→
I love to develop summertime drinks! This recipe for Rhubarb Slush uses rhubarb as the base for this tasty slush drink. The addition of a mix of freshly squeezed citrus juices, sweet pineapple juice, and frozen lemonade concentrate make this a flavorful beverage. Continue reading Rhubarb Slush→
Oh, those lazy, hazy hot days of summer! They sure can work up a thirst. One of the most refreshing summertime drinks in my repertoire is Rhubarb Cordial. Not only is it refreshing, but it is tasty and a very showy drink with its bright orange/red color. Continue reading Rhubarb Cordial→
It’s late August and wild blueberry season on PEI. These wonderful little indigo-colored berries grow wild in certain parts of the Island – in particular, in the Tignish area in the Western part of the Province and in the Morell-St. Peter’s area in the Eastern end of PEI. While it may be wild blueberry season for most people, for the folks at PEI Juice Works Ltd. which produce wild blueberry juice, it’s wild blueberry season year-round. Today, I’m in Bloomfield, near Alberton, PEI, in the Western part of the Island, visiting the PEI Juice Works Ltd. production plant. My tour guide for the day is Ryan Bradley, Vice-President of Sales and Marketing.
Juice Works Logo
Fresh PEI Wild Blueberries Arrive on PEI Juice Works Ltd.’s Loading Dock…ready to be processed into Wild Blueberry Juice
As I arrive mid-morning, a local farmer from Tignish, about a half hour away, has just arrived with a truckload of fresh wild blueberries for processing and is backed up to the loading dock unloading large containers of berries. One taste of these sweet little wild blueberries and there is no comparison to the larger cultivated ones that, while they have great presentation, I find so often lack flavour. No doubt about it, wild blueberries are tastier and sweeter than the cultivated high bush variety and, as an added bonus, they also have a much higher antioxidant profile.
Crate of Wild Blueberries, Fresh from the Field
PEI Juice Works Ltd. began producing juice from wild blueberries just two years ago when four shareholders from the agricultural sector decided to do something with the wild blueberries growing in their area to add value to them other than shipping them as raw food to be used or processed into a product elsewhere. The production facility is located in the Bloomfield Industrial Park just outside Alberton and presently employs seven staff year-round. The company has worked closely with Bio Food Tech in Charlottetown to develop the proprietary process PEI Juice Works Ltd. uses and Ryan tells me that Bio Food Tech set up a small scale plant in their lab to test and help PEI Juice Works Ltd. get the best wild blueberry juice product possible. The food production industry is heavily regulated and food safety standards are strictly adhered to by PEI Juice Works Ltd. In fact, on my visit, I could only view their production facility from a window as only authorized personnel are allowed in the room where the juice is being produced.
PEI Juice Works Ltd. Production Facility and Test Kitchen
Two Flavours of PEI Juice Works Ltd. Wild Blueberry Juice
Currently, the company produces two flavour blends of their signature wild blueberry juice – Wild Blueberry and Tart Cherry and Wild Blueberry and Rhubarb. Ryan tells me that their most popular flavour is Wild Blueberry and Tart Cherry (and it’s my favourite, too!). He tells me there is over one pound of wild blueberries in every 375ml bottle they produce and the product contains no preservatives – so it is the goodness of an all-natural product! When you think of how small the low bush wild blueberries are, that’s a lot of blueberries! Their product comes in one-size, a 375ml bottle, that has a two-year shelf life, unopened. After opening, the product will maintain its quality for about three weeks, refrigerated. Ryan tells me the juice can be drunk cold or at room temperature but he says the flavour will be more intense if it is consumed cold. PEI Juice Works Ltd. recommends a daily serving size of 2 oz/60ml of the wild blueberry juice which is about ¼ cup. Following this recommended serving, one 375 ml bottle will last you just about a week.
Wild Blueberry JuiceRecommended 2oz/60ml Serving Size of Wild Blueberry Juice Per DayPEI Juice Works Ltd. Warehouse
To the extent possible, PEI Juice Works Ltd. uses local product. In this way, it provides a ready market for local Island wild blueberry growers. In the off-season, PEI Juice Works Ltd. buys its supply of wild blueberries from a sorting facility to which local growers have sold their crops and where the berries have been quick frozen. So, how is wild blueberry juice made? Ryan tells me PEI Juice Works Ltd. uses an ancient European process that was originally developed by Mennonites in Eastern Europe over 100 years ago. This involves a heat process to break down the skin membrane of the wild blueberries that will release the dark, rich pigments that give the juice both its color and flavour. The solids are then separated and filtered out and the blending of other fruits – either the cherries or rhubarb – then occurs. For consumer safety, the product is pasteurized and bottled, hot, which gives it its two-year shelf life.
Currently, the juices are sold in all four Atlantic Provinces (check the “Where to Buy” section of the PEI Juice Works Ltd. website for locations in those areas) and the 375ml bottles retail for around $10. each. However, no worries if you are not in the Atlantic Provinces because, through FoodiePages, you can now order PEI Juice Works Ltd. products online. The company is currently exploring markets around the world and have participated in trade shows and trade missions at home and farther afield. In February, 2012, they attended a food show in Japan and, in March, were at the Canadian Health Products Show in Vancouver, BC. In September, they are travelling to China as part of the PEI Premier’s trade mission.
The farmer delivering the wild blueberry shipment to PEI Juice Works Ltd. on this day graciously agreed to allow me to follow him to his blueberry field to see how they harvest the crop because I think it is important to see where our foods come from and how they are harvested.
Wild Blueberry Harvesting Process
I learned a fact I did not know before and that is that a wild low bush blueberry field will only yield a maximum harvest every second year so the field they are harvesting today will not be harvested again until the year after next. Wild blueberries, of course, cannot be planted so are completely dependent on Mother Nature as to where the wild blueberry barrens are and the fruit they yield. I asked if, this year being a very dry year on the Island with very little rain, provided good growing conditions for wild blueberries. The farmer told me that it is not and he showed me some berries that, in fact, just dried up and did not yield useable fruit because of the dry conditions. Using the machine in the photograph above, the farmer can harvest over one acre of fruit per day. It is from this field that today’s production of PEI Juice Works Ltd. wild blueberry juice is being made. It doesn’t get any fresher than that!
In recent years, there have been a number of studies conducted around the world with regards to the health benefits of wild blueberries, often dubbed a superfruit, which have steadily been gaining a reputation for their health benefits. Wild blueberries are low in fat and sodium and provide a good source of fibre and both Vitamins C and K. While research and testing on the health benefits of wild blueberries continue on an ongoing basis, the berries and their products, such as wild blueberry juice, are reported to have positive health benefits. High in antioxidants, wild blueberry juice is reported to have properties that may improve cognitive function, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, reduce inflammation, inhibit urinary tract infections, and combat diseases like cancer, heart disease, stroke, and memory loss. There is even some research that suggests wild blueberry juice may slow the aging process! So, with the chances of improved memory and learning functions, slowing down the aging process, and combating a number of other diseases, what’s not to like about wild blueberry juice!
Visit the Juice Works website to find out more about their blueberry juice products.
While the wild blueberry juice is wonderful to drink on its own I decided to try some recipes using the juice as an ingredient. The first recipe is for Steamed Mussels with Blueberry Vinaigrette. You can find the recipe for this appetizer on the Saltscapes magazine website. Traditionally, on PEI, we serve steamed mussels with melted butter; however, this recipe sees the mussels drizzled with a blueberry vinaigrette which can also be used as a dressing on a green garden salad or on a watermelon, goat cheese, and basil salad. For the vinaigrette, I chose PEI Juice Works’ Wild Blueberry and Rhubarb Juice and I also used PEI-produced maple syrup. Adding the syrup gave the dressing a touch of sweetness and it paired well with the mussels in the appetizer and the watermelon in the salad.
Steamed Mussels with Blueberry Vinaigrette
Steamed Mussels served with Blueberry Vinaigrette
To make the watermelon, goat cheese, and basil salad, I simply cubed watermelon, added some crumbled goat cheese, red onion, and a sprinkle of fresh basil and parsley. Since we had a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes in our garden this year, I included some of those as well. Drizzled with a wild blueberry vinaigrette, this is a refreshing and colorful summer salad.
Watermelon, Goat Cheese, and Basil Salad Drizzled with a Wild Blueberry Vinaigrette
My third recipe is one I developed — a Blueberry Juice Sangria (recipe follows).
My Island Bistro Kitchen’s Blueberry Sangria
I hope you will try PEI Juice Works Ltd. wild blueberry juices. They are a tasty product, good for you, and made right here in Prince Edward Island. It’s a true flavour of the Island!
My Island Bistro Kitchen's Blueberry Sangria
By Barbara99
Published: August 29, 2012
Yield: (3-4 Servings)
Prep:1 hr 30 mins
A refreshing drink made with PEI Juice Works' Wild Blueberry Juice