I've lived in China since 2005. That's 11 years, people. And I'll tell you newcomers, this is not the same China it was 11 years ago. In so, so many ways. One big one being the availability of some produce that hasn't always been here. Like avocados--while still fairly pricey most of the time, they are readily available. The first time I saw an avocado in China was in 2009. How about fresh asparagus? I've been seeing it sold by one or two lone sellers for years but it is even in the grocery store this year. Same for okra--its only been around a couple years here and more and more sellers and stores have it. Blueberries are a big one. I think 2010 or so was the first time I saw little containers of blueberries. They looked awful and the seller wanted 30RMB for them! The next year, they were down to 20 or 25 and a few more places had them. I clearly remember when the grocery store carried them for 15 a box and a bunch of us bought them up! In the past year or two here in our area, they've gotten much lower in price and very readily available--though still not like what they are in the northeast part of the country I'm told. I'm pretty sure I saw a seller yesterday that had them 2 boxes for 10RMB!! Crazy. And if you can read the labels, you'll see they are grown in more and more areas, not just Qingdao. I love it. I love the variety and I'm so thankful we have more and more things that are becoming commonplace. Last year and this year, I bought cheap blueberries and took inspiration from my sister's MIL's recipe for Bosnian Fruit Syrup to make a blueberry variation. We love it drizzled on yogurt, pancakes, and biscuits. I hope you do too!
Blueberry Slatko (Fruit Syrup)
500g blueberries
500g white sugar
Place washed blueberries in a saucepan. Cover with sugar. Allow to sit for 4-6 hours or overnight.
Place saucepan over a medium-low heat. Allow to warm, stirring only slightly until sugar and berries begin to come together into a sauce. Simmer only 10 minutes or so, continuing to stir only a bit and very gently. Remove from heat and allow syrup to sit until completely cool.
Store in jars and refrigerate. Can be kept in fridge for several months.
Serve with pancakes or waffles, biscuits, over yogurt or ice cream, or drizzled over a bagel smeared with cream cheese! Bosnians would served a spoonful alongside a cup of coffee! Enjoy!
Note: I don't know if Bosnians make this with blueberries, but I've just used the same method. The blueberries tend to burst a bit with the heat and the small seeds can get into the syrup. I haven't found an effective way to get them out or avoid this, but they aren't bothersome in the sauce either--just thought I'd warn you it happens!
Blueberry Slatko (Fruit Syrup)
500g blueberries
500g white sugar
Place washed blueberries in a saucepan. Cover with sugar. Allow to sit for 4-6 hours or overnight.
Place saucepan over a medium-low heat. Allow to warm, stirring only slightly until sugar and berries begin to come together into a sauce. Simmer only 10 minutes or so, continuing to stir only a bit and very gently. Remove from heat and allow syrup to sit until completely cool.
Store in jars and refrigerate. Can be kept in fridge for several months.
Serve with pancakes or waffles, biscuits, over yogurt or ice cream, or drizzled over a bagel smeared with cream cheese! Bosnians would served a spoonful alongside a cup of coffee! Enjoy!
Note: I don't know if Bosnians make this with blueberries, but I've just used the same method. The blueberries tend to burst a bit with the heat and the small seeds can get into the syrup. I haven't found an effective way to get them out or avoid this, but they aren't bothersome in the sauce either--just thought I'd warn you it happens!
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