July is National Blueberry Month!

As a proud garden geek, I enjoy telling people about random horticulture facts. One of my favorites is to say that many of the fruits that are called berries aren't truly berries according to botany. For example, raspberries and blackberries are really aggregate drupes and strawberries are receptacles, with the true fruit being the small seeds (called achenes).

Blueberries also fall into the category of berries-that-aren't-really-berries. They are a false berry called an epigynous berry, where other parts of the flower such as the petals develop and ripen along with the fruit. On the blueberry, you can see the sepals at the end of the fruit.

Blueberries are a common fruit grown in many gardens. On May 8th, 1999, Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman declared July as National Blueberry Month. In honor of that, I've picked some delicious blueberry recipes:

• Lemon Blueberry Pancakes
• Eastern European Blueberry-Almond Cake
• Mango Blueberry Muffins with Lime-Almond Glaze
• Blueberry Sorbet
• Blueberry Ketchup

Check out my blueberry profile so you can start growing your own luscious "berries". One important fact to remember is that they really like acidic soil, so you will need to choose a spot with a low pH or make your soil more acidic.

What's your favorite way to eat blueberries?

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