Selecting perfectly ripe blueberries can be tricky, as they often look similar at first glance. While a container of blueberries may look appealing at the grocery store, once you get home you may find moldy, sour, or underripe berries hiding beneath the top layer. It may be a little inconvenient, but there’s nothing wrong with spreading out the blueberries on a paper towel to inspect the layers underneath before making your purchase.
Vargas advises looking for “deep blue or deep purple berries” and avoiding green or reddish berries that are likely underripe. But color isn’t the only indicator of ripeness. The presence of a white or silvery coating on the skin of blueberries is a good sign. This natural, edible waxy coating is a protective barrier that keeps blueberries fresh. The coating tends to fade as the berries age after picking, so the more of the coating you see, the better sign that the berries were picked at their peak ripeness.
When it comes to blueberries, size matters, but it also depends on the type of blueberries you buy. Cultivated blueberries, known as highbush blueberries, are large and grown all over the world. On the other hand, wild blueberries, known as lowbush blueberries, are tiny, grown close to the ground, and have a very short season. “You often find people selling them on the side of the road in Maine in August,” Vargas adds. “Otherwise, they are available frozen year-round.”
