Food things you should know
Generally, imported blueberries on the market must be transported over long distances. After long-term freezing and fumigation during import quarantine, not only the flavor of the blueberries is greatly reduced, but also food safety concerns are raised. Hill Blue hopes to shorten the transportation distance from the origin to the table. This will not only improve the freshness of blueberries and allow consumers to eat more safely, but also reduce the carbon footprint and be environmentally friendly.
Interview · Writing = Editorial Department
Taiwan also has its own native blueberries! To overcome climate change, with the arrival of the blueberry production season, the Taiwanese brand “Hill Blue” will launch products for the new production season on March 5, 2024, and will be launched simultaneously on the official website and major supermarkets and supermarket channels, providing Taiwan with The agricultural development and consumption landscape have created a new look and more diverse choices.
“Hills Blue” will hold a product launch event on March 5, 2024, kicking off this year’s Taiwan blueberry season. (Photo by Hao Zhiqi)
Fighting climate change to grow delicately ripe blueberries
Due to the harsh conditions for blueberry cultivation, large-scale cultivation of blueberries in Taiwan has been elusive. Professor Lee Guo-tan of the Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, National Taiwan University, who has conducted industry-university cooperation with the mountain blueberry, said: “Blueberries are very delicate plants. They need to grow in an environment with high organic matter, high acidity, moisture content and high breathability. They need precise control of nutrients to grow.” Maintain soil pH.” After continuous trial planting and seed selection, Shanshan Blue finally successfully planted the first mass-produced blueberry native to Taiwan on its farm along the Bazhang River in Chiayi, Taiwan.
According to Hillside Blue’s experience, the biggest difficulty to overcome in growing blueberries in Taiwan is facing the outbreak of extreme weather under climate change. For example, the extreme heat in April 2023 forced Hill Blue to hand in a blank product during the season when blueberries were supposed to be abundant. In desperation, they had to cancel their orders, leaving a large number of blueberry lovers with nothing. In the face of weather emergencies, Shanshan Blue spokesperson Lian Wanjun said that Shanshan Blue needs to strengthen the flexibility of response measures in planting so as not to repeat the same mistakes. This will not only disgrace consumers, but also cost farmers a lot of money. Yue’s efforts were in vain.
The Taiwanese blueberries grown in “Hill Blue” are characterized by larger and plumper fruits, a more balanced sweet-sour ratio, and no chemical pesticide residues. (Photo by Hao Zhiqi)
The freshest distance: It was growing on trees yesterday, but you can eat it today!
The main difference between Taiwan’s homegrown blueberries and imported blueberries is the freshness they can maintain by shortening the shipping process. Generally, imported blueberries on the market must be transported over long distances. After long-term freezing and fumigation during import quarantine, not only the flavor of the blueberries is greatly reduced, but also food safety concerns are raised. Hill Blue hopes to shorten the transportation distance from the origin to the table. This will not only improve the freshness of blueberries and allow consumers to eat with more peace of mind, but also reduce the carbon footprint and be environmentally friendly.
“Mountain Blue”‘s Taiwan blueberry farm is located at the foot of Ali Mountain in Chiayi and upstream of Bazhang River. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides and has the environmental advantages of year-round fog, cool climate and abundant rainfall. (Picture source: Shanshanlan official website)
“Premium blueberries” that insist on hand-picked and mature taste
Unlike ordinary blueberries, which are mostly harvested on a large scale, Hill Blue insists on manually picking each blueberry according to the ripeness of each blueberry, so that the blueberries can achieve the best sour-sweet ratio in terms of flavor without wasting every blueberry. The nutrients contained in a blueberry that has been carefully cultivated and grown. The host of the product launch event, Zeng Baoyi, shared that during her visit to Shanshan Blue Farm and actual contact with the fruits, she felt that “blueberries can talk to you” and you can tell whether they are ripe or not at the touch of a finger. In terms of flavor, Lian Wanjun said that blueberry varieties suitable for Taiwan’s climate were exclusively introduced from the United States. After adapting to Taiwan’s subtropical climate, the sweetness has become more enhanced and the pulp has become firmer and fuller. Compared with imported frozen blueberries, the taste is better. Significant optimizations and upgrades.
Using biological control to achieve “100% pesticide residue-free”, you can eat safely and be friendly to the environment
In addition, in the prevention and control of bird pests and diseases and insect pests, Hill Blue adopts physical control strategies to achieve 100% pesticide residue-free, and achieves the effect of biological control by “one thing defeats one thing”. For example, Hillside Blue CEO Cai Yiling said that the farm has eagles to drive away wild birds that love blueberries. In terms of weeding, Hill Blue also replaces the use of herbicides with manual pulling. The heavy investment in labor costs shows its determination to cultivate “high-quality blueberries” and also demonstrates Hill Blue’s approach to environmental sustainability. In addition, Shanshan Blue also discloses the “cloud resume” containing computer monitoring system data on its official website, making consumer information more transparent.
“Mountain Blue” insists on manual weeding and insect removal, and adopts biological control methods to allow natural enemies to actively prey on crop pests and achieve the purpose of preventing and controlling plant diseases and insect pests. (Picture source: Shanshanlan official website)
Through hard work and persistence, Mountain Blue is determined to redefine consumers’ understanding of blueberries. The launch of local blueberries has also provided new choices and imaginations for Taiwanese consumers. From now until the end of April, Shanshan Blue is not only available for home delivery on the official website, but also in FamilyMart, 7-ELEVEN, SunDecos, Housewives Alliance, Green & Safe, Ernst & Young, Health Food, Breeze Supermarket, and Sogo Taipei Zhongxiaoguan Supermarket, Mia C’bon, Beautiful Market, Yumaowu, Carrefour and other stores are also on the market at the same time. In the future, consumers can wait and see the regular appearance of Taiwanese blueberries. In addition, Xue Dongdu, general manager of FamilyMart convenience store, also surprisingly revealed at the press conference that blueberries are full of aroma and moderately sweet and sour. FamilyMart will cooperate with the blueberry season in April 2024 to launch a limited-time flavored ice cream jointly with Hill Blue. , consumers are welcome to look forward to it.
Reviewing Editor: Lin Yuting
Further reading
▶Visit the blueberry producing area of Taiwan! How to ensure the food safety of hand-picked fresh blueberries grown in the country?
▶Taiwan blueberry debuts for the first time! “Mountain Blue” and the National Taiwan University team spent 6 years successfully growing local fresh blueberries at the foot of Alishan Mountain
▶Rich in anthocyanins, known as the “sapphire of the forest”! How does the super antioxidant power of blueberries help your health?
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