If I were a blueberry...

...I would be covered in chocolate. Is that surprising? Luckily for me, this month I had reason to pursue my blueberry/chocolate interest. First off, as mentioned in my last post, the SOS Kitchen Challenge is highlighting blueberries this month! Secondly, blueberries are now readily available to me at the farmers market every week (more about this shortly). And finally, is there ever a time I would say no to chocolate? Probably not.

To start, let's spend a moment dwelling on the blueberry itself. Almost every Sunday, I spend the first six hours of my day selling organic produce at the farmers market (though the berries tend to sell themselves). Our berries are truly amazing, largely because they are organic. Why? For one, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides are chemicals that tend to kill off the soil microfauna, which in turn help mobilize nutrients. It shouldn't be a surprise then, that the quality of the soil directly impacts the micronutrient content and flavor of the berries. Blueberries also happen to be among the top 12 fruits and vegetables with high pesticide residue. Luckily, it is fairly easy to obtain organic blueberries, and the flavor is definitely worth the extra dollar or two!

So I've taken this opportunity to capitalize on the bounty of berries and do a bit of melting of chocolate and encasing unsuspecting, juicy blue orbs in the molten mass. Now for those of you skeptical of chocolate and fruit, give it a shot. While strawberries are lovely in chocolate, dark chocolate-covered blueberries tend to just burst with antioxidant amazingness.

Enrobed Orbs of Blueness

4 oz unsweetened, good quality chocolate (you can try Sunspire, Dagoba, or some other 100% bars that are organic/fair trade)

15-20 drops stevia (vanilla flavored is good; don't oversweeten)

-or-

4 oz semisweet/bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup blueberries

1. Stick a toothpick in each blueberry (option; only important if you plan on serving to other people). Place blueberry pops in freezer for 20-30 minutes.

2. Melt chocolate. Mix with sweetener if you are taking that route.

3. Dip blueberries in chocolate. Make sure they are well coated! Place on parchment or wax paper on a plate/tray. Once all have been dipped, place in refrigerator for 30 minutes or until you serve them. Will last...until you eat them :) mmm...

Enjoy!