Blueberries: True Blue, All-American Stars

This is my 9th Edition
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Thursday Thirteen

1. The Blueberry is native to North America (cranberries and concord grapes too).
2. July is National Blueberry Month in the United States.
3. Blueberry Jelly Bellies were created for President Ronald Reagan.
4. The Native Americans called blueberries "star berries".
5. Each blueberry blossom forms a 5 point star.
6. Native Americans gathered blueberries, dried them, beat them with cornmeal, honey and water to make a pudding called "Sautauthig".
7. According to a 1998 USDA study conducted by the Human Nutrition Center on Aging at Tuft University, blueberries have the highest levels of antioxidants.
8. The blueberry rated better than 60 other fruits and vegetables in neutralizing free radicals -- particles which damage cells and lead to cancer, heart disease and premature aging.
9. Blueberries contain vitamins A and C, zinc, potassium, iron, calcium and magnesium.
10. Early American colonists made grey paint by boiling blueberries in milk.
11. The Shakers used blueberries to make blue paint for their homes.
12. During World War II pilots in the Royal British Air Force claimed that their night vision was improved after eating blueberries. Scientists in the 1960s discovered that eating blueberries improves microcirculation, which allows better blood flow through capillaries in the eyes.
13. This is the first stanza of Robert Frosts' poem, Blueberries:

Blueberries as big as the end of your thumb,
Real sky-blue, and heavy, and ready to drum
In the cavernous pail of the first one to come!
And all ripe together, not some of them green
And some of them ripe! You ought to have seen!

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