Wish Farms blueberries are now in season in the southeast, covering FL, GA, and NC! Folks, there’s no time like now to jump into this sweet season and enjoy all the blueberries you can. I took this quite literally late last month when I had the awesome opportunity to check out Wish Farms Misty Organics blueberry farm in Alturas, Florida. A group of bloggers and influencers alike were invited out to this Florida farm to get the behind a scenes view of how the Wish Farms blueberries we know and love are grown.
As someone whose last “farm tour” was in the form of a Luke Bryan concert, this trip was a completely eye-opening experience. It dawned on me that day that I had never truly been on a farm. To be on one as innovative and as large as Misty Organics was something I intended to soak in.
At Misty Organics, rows and rows of containers holding blueberry plants live under ginormous, white tunnels. We learned that these tunnels provide weather protection and serve as a makeshift greenhouse. When I say “rows and rows” I truly mean as far as the eye can see. There was no shortage of blueberry plants to “ooh” and “ahh” over while we were there. While walking the farm, you even had the chance to pluck the blueberries right off the plants to enjoy! Major yum. It was so interesting to see different blueberries in different color phases of their growth lifespan.
After we toured the farm itself, we were taken to Wish Farms’ processing facility. Here we were able to see the packaging process from start to finish. We watched it begin with the sorting process, and end with palette stacks of blueberries that were ready to head to our grocery stores. The most pressing fact that stuck with me that day actually had nothing to do with the blueberries we see in our stores. It was about the ones that don’t “make the cut”. We learned that just because they’re not heading to consumers, doesn’t mean they get wasted. Wish Farms actually takes these blueberries on a few entirely different adventures. Farmers get the chance to come back and decide if they want to use the blueberries for themselves. Less than perfect blueberries can also get sent to food and beverage companies to be used in their mass produced products (think drink flavors, ice cream, things like that). The blueberries that didn’t quite make it can also be donated to food organizations to help those in need. Berry awesome, Wish Farms!
Following the packing and processing facility, our group enjoyed lunch at The Corner Store in Plant City. Their blueberry shortcake is a dessert dish I’m still dreaming about. It totally puts every strawberry shortcake I’ve had to shame.
This trip was almost 48 hours full of blueberries and I loved every second of it. Each meal we had incorporated Wish Farms blueberries in some way shape or form. From entrées, to sauces, to desserts, to garnishes – blueberries are incredibly versatile. Who knew?
Today on Keeping Up with Kahla I’m so excited to share my very own sangria recipe using Wish Farms organic blueberries! I’m calling it Blueberry Pineapple Summertime Sangria. When Ben and I bought our new house, one of our goals was to host more parties. What screams hostess with the mostess more than a nice, cold pitcher of sangria to serve guests? Sangria is such a crowd pleaser in my opinion. The recipe that I’m sharing with you today is light, refreshing, and would be perfect for an upcoming party or while you’re hanging poolside during the summer. My favorite part of the recipe is that it’s incredibly easy and quick to make.
I made this blueberry pineapple sangria to serve during our Cinco De Derby (Cinco de Mayo and Kentucky Derby) party earlier this month. It was an absolute hit. We had to open more bottles of wine during the party in order to keep repurposing the remaining fruit because people could not get enough of it.
Here’s how to make my blueberry pineapple summertime sangria:
Ingredients needed:
- 1 Pint of Wish Farms Blueberries
- 2 cups of Pineapple Juice
- Case of Sparkling Water
- 1 Bottle of Moscato
- 1 Pineapple
Tools needed:
- Blender
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Measuring cup
Instructions:
- In your blender, combine 2 cups of pineapple juice with half of your pint of blueberries
- Blend together by pulsing until blueberries are grounded up
- Dice up your pineapple. Get rid of the core. Put most of the diced pineapple into your serving pitcher. Save some pineapple chunks outside of the pitcher for garnishing drinks at the end.
- Put remaining half pint of blueberries in serving pitcher
- Pour pineapple and blueberry juice mixture from blender into serving pitcher (note: I didn’t strain the mixture, but you could if you wanted to – I thought the blueberry specks gave the sangria such a pretty, upscale look)
- Pour bottle of Moscato into serving pitcher
- Stir lightly and let sit for one hour in the fridge
- When ready to serve, do so over ice. Fill most of the cup with sangria. Leave enough room to finish off cup with splash of sparkling soda (I used LaCroix Pure).
You can check out Wish Farms on their website for more berry-mazing recipe ideas or follow along on any of their social channels including: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Youtube.
Need more blueberry recipe inspo? Check out this page on Sunday Supper Movement for even more ways to incorporate blueberries into incredibly easy recipes.
Speaking of socials, Wish Farms is running a contest on their Instagram page right now through May 27th. You’ll have the chance to win Rae Dunn pottery being given away each week! There will also be a grand prize of $500 for one lucky winner at the end of the contest. This winner will be drawn randomly from all entries. Good luck!
This post is sponsored by Wish Farms in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.
