I usually start my day off with a power smoothie made from wild Alaska blueberries. It's an energy boost that keeps me going strong all day long. This year I picked about 15 gallons of blueberries at my secret spot just North of Fairbanks. Now I have a freezer full of my favorite super fruit to enjoy all year round. ~Audrey
Alaska blueberries are one of nature’s miracle foods, full of powerful antioxidants and other nutrients. Just half a cup delivers as much antioxidant power as 5 servings of other fruits and vegetables such as peas, carrots, apples, squash and broccoli.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup blueberries
1/4 cup cranberries
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup pineapple or 1 kiwi
1 cup pomegranate juice
1-2 scoops protein powder
1/2 cup ice
Place all ingredients in a blender....and blend.
I use a vegan protein powder called Vega. It's made from pea, hemp and rice protein...along with a bunch of other good stuff.
Since our berries are so tart up here, I like to add either some pineapple or a kiwi to sweeten it up. This year I also picked a ton of raspberries and cranberries so they get thrown in too. And I always use pomegranate juice. So I basically get tons of antioxidants, nutrients and all my protein for the day in this amazing power smoothie.
Blueberry picking essentials: bear spray, water, mosquito dope, a cow bell and lots of containers to hold all the berries. I usually pick between 10 and 20 gallons a season.
Bears love blueberries too, so my fellow berry pickers and I are always looking out for signs of bear (scat). We use cow bells to warn them of our presence and to let them know we are approaching their territory. We also use bells to signal each other as to our whereabouts in case we get separated. When you're out picking blueberries for 6+ hours, its easy to wander off from the group.
Roxy and I at our secret blueberry spot, somewhere North of Fairbanks.
Salty & Roxy, my blueberry watch dogs.
Daphne, one of my blueberry picking companions, and her dog Russell. He's our official bear watch dog. Thankfully, we've never had to test his bear attack skills.
