Among my favourite summer fruits, blueberries are at the top of my list, next to mangos and watermelon. In fact, one popular way to spend a sunny day is at a blueberry farm, to pick boxes and boxes of fresh blueberries (and perhaps eating one .. or two.. or sixteen).

Blueberries are my kind of superfood – packed with vitamins K and C, as well as antioxidants that help protect heart diseases and other illnesses, while improving your memory. The only “bad” thing about it is if you eat too many, it’ll turn your tongue blue!

The BC Blueberry Council kicked off the blueberry season with a picnic-inspired reception at the outdoor terrace of Shangri-La Hotel. With blueberry-everything on the menu, this was a summer fiesta on the tastebuds.

I was greeted with a Blueberry Caipirinha as I walked out to the terrace! I haven’t had many drinks with blueberries in them, but the fruity sweetness works really well. I swear I wasn’t already buzzed when I snapped this photo, although I realize my glass is a little tilted…

One thing I absolutely love in my meals is lots of beautiful, bright colours. And this Cob & Blueberry Salad has it all! This is such a fantastic way to incorporate blueberries into a healthy meal, along with lots of greens When I make this at home, I may throw in some extra fruit to make it extra summery.

Do it yourself trail mix! I’m a big fan of DIY meals. It means I can add more things I like.. and less of the things I don’t like. Yay for more blueberries!

This one was amazing. Olive oil poached salmon with blueberry and lemon – I’ve baked salmon and lemon together before, but never thought to include blueberries. I was definitely inspired by this one, and will be making this on my own this summer!

This one definitely deserves 10/10 for presentation. I’m always wary of too much sourness in lemon tarts, but this bite-sized tart balanced quite nicely with the sweetness of the blueberries.

Blueberry season started two weeks earlier in BC this year than it did last year, which means we get to enjoy blueberries earlier! If you want to be as inspired as I am in incorporating blueberries into your menu this summer, discover some new recipes here: BC Blueberry Recipes. Cheers!