The Blueberry Red Flag That's Actually Not A Red Flag At All

Blueberries are kind of irresistible. Bite-sized, healthy, and delicious, they're a great food to keep on hand when they are in season. Shoppers aim to buy the freshest and tastiest blueberries along with the rest of their produce, but they are understandably leery of foods that don't look quite right. If you are prone to tossing food (or not even buying it in the first place) at the first hint of something wrong, you'll want to know about blueberry bloom so you don't mistake a good sign for a bad one.

If you are a chocolate connoisseur, you've probably heard of chocolate bloom, and if you are a coffee fanatic, you may even have heard of blooming your coffee. But blueberry bloom is a completely different phenomenon, and not only is it perfectly natural, it's actually a good thing to see on your berries. Blueberries develop a thin, silvery layer on the surface of their skin that is known as bloom. It is all natural, completely safe to eat, and works as a built-in protective barrier that helps keep pests and bacteria from reaching the delicate flesh inside. It also works as a sealant, keeping the sweet juices and delicious flavor inside the berries so they stay fresh for as long as possible. The bloom is made of something called epicuticular wax, and is a green flag that tells you the blueberries are ripe, sweet, and ready to eat. 

A thick, even bloom is a good sign, but it comes off easily when washed or handled. If you see a pack of blueberries that lacks a good bloom, chances are, they've been handled excessively. It could also mean that those berries have passed their peak of freshness. 

Bloom is definitely a good sign in blueberries, but there are still a few red flags to look for when you are shopping. Unless you are picking berries fresh off the bush, it can be hard to be 100% certain that there are no bad blueberries in a pack — you can't exactly look at the ones in the middle of the package. But you can look at the blueberries on top, on the sides, and on the bottom of the pack to gather some clues. 

Blueberries with split skins and obvious signs of mold are definitely on the wrong side of the freshness spectrum. But if you see any signs of excess moisture in the package, that's also a red flag, and you should select a different package. Too much wetness (like the kind that comes from condensation or the juices of smashed blueberries) creates a breeding ground for mold that can grow incredibly fast and spread to the whole package in the blink of an eye.   

On the opposite end of the spectrum, blueberries that aren't ready yet are another red flag — not because they have passed their freshness peak, but because of the taste. They will be tart and bitter, and they won't continue to ripen once they've been picked. These berries will have a green, pinkish, or red color and, while they are unlikely to make you sick, they won't be very enjoyable.