38.5 pounds of love, photo by sethrt.

Every week, Taste the Local Difference posts an article with facts, lore and recipes for foods that grow in Northern Michigan. As a bonus, they have many posts from previous years in their Ready to Pick archive so that folks downstate who are already picking (I’m looking at you, Edward Vielmetti) what’s not yet ready to pick up north.

Blueberries are coming on strong in Michigan, and here’s what their blueberry page has to say about these blue marvels!

• Over 18,000 acres of blueberries are grown in Michigan, the largest blueberry-producing state in the U.S.
• More than 20 varieties of blueberries are grown in Michigan. The Jersey variety is the most planted blueberry bush in the state.
• Blueberries are one of the few truly blue foods on earth.
• Blueberries are considered a super food! They are the fruit that is highest in antioxidants.
• Each blueberry grows from a different white blossom on the bush. Growers can tell how good their crop will be by counting the blossoms.

More about blueberries from the the Blueberry People (aka the Michigan Blueberry Growers Association) and also Eat Local: Michigan Blueberries from Absolute Michigan.

Be sure to check this amazing haul of blue gold out bigger and check out the blueberry slideshow from the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr!