Good morning, it’s Wednesday.
Summer is peak fruit season. Stone fruit of all varieties – plums, peaches, nectarines, apricots, cherries, etc. – as well a wide array of berries, from strawberries and raspberries to blackberries and, perhaps the most iconic of them all, blueberries.
If you are of a certain age and never read Blueberries for Sal, or had it read to you as a child, who even are you?
We are in the middle of Northeast blueberry season, which runs from mid-June to early September. The U.S. is the second largest producer of blueberries, accounting for about 16 percent of the global supply. (China is by far the dominant force in the blueberry growing market, responsible for about 32 percent of what is sold and consumed around the world).
The state of Maine is responsible for producing 99 precent of wild blueberries consumed in the U.S. and the tiny fruit has become something of a trademark for the state, which is right now sadly generating headlines for something else altogether.
Wild blueberries are smaller than their cultivated cousins and are considered better for you, because their skin-to-flesh ratio is lower, meaning they pack more antioxidants, fiber and overall nutrients per cup and also have a lower water content, which gives them a more intense flavor.
Interestingly, per capita blueberry consumption has increased exponentially, rising from about 0.2 pounds per person in 2000 to nearly 3 pounds (!) a year. And that amount is projected to double over the next six or seven years. The demand is being driven largely by the U.S. and European markets, and is in part due to availability – what was once a seasonal delicacy can now be obtained wherever and whenever, thanks to an increase in global production and the ability to ship perishable goods quickly and safely.
Another driver: The labeling of blueberries as a so-called “superfood“, thanks to the fact that they are low-calorie, nutrient-dense, and for their size contain a high number of the aforementioned vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants – specially, brain-healthy anthocyanins (they’re what make blueberries blue) and have the potential to reduce inflammation and lower the risk of chronic diseases.
Consuming blueberries can reportedly do great things for your health. From promoting heart health and protecting the brain from cognitive decline to assisting in blood sugar management and supporting healthy digestion, blueberries can apparently do all that and more. Those aforementioned anthocyanins help reduce inflammation and protect your DNA from free radicals, guarding against certain types of cancers.
Blueberries can be pricey – especially when you buy them out of season – because they’re on the delicate side and difficult to package and transport without bruising. Also, the cost of everything from fuel to labor impacts what you pay at the store, so it’s best to buy from the source (farm stand, farm market, pick-your-own) when you can, or try frozen.
Prepare yourself for some significant weather whiplash as we return to more seasonably appropriate temperatures. Skies will be mostly sunny and the mercury will top out somewhere in the mid-80s. This is a relief, proving that summer is not, in fact, over before it even began.
In the headlines…
After an escalating exchange of fire, President Donald Trump said today that “as far as I’m concerned, it’s over,” when asked about ongoing negotiations with Iran, calling the country’s leadership “sick” and declaring it “a waste of time dealing with them.”
“I don’t want to deal with them anymore, they’re scum,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the NATO Summit. “They’re liars, they’re cheats. They’re sick people.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it targeted U.S. military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain. The US had launched strikes and reimposed sanctions on Iranian oil sales as “punishment” for attacks on ships near the Strait of Hormuz.
World oil prices soared after Trump said the ceasefire with Iran was over. International benchmark Brent North Sea crude jumped 5.3 percent to $78.09 a barrel, while the main U.S. contract, West Texas Intermediate, advanced 5.4 percent to $74.23 a barrel.
Trump yesterday resurrected his push for the U.S. to acquire Greenland, and suggested the U.S. could pull all of its armed services members out of Europe in response to the Continent’s continued pushback on the issue.
Somali American and Muslim community members in Minnesota are raising concerns about safety and Islamophobia after Trump posted a video showing children at a St. Paul kindergarten graduation ceremony, including several young girls wearing hijabs.
The Trump administration is requiring states to change how they conduct elections or risk losing federal terrorism-prevention funds, in its latest move that would make voting harder and undermine trust in results that don’t go the president’s way.
An ex-girlfriend of embattled Senate candidate Graham Platner told The Washington Post that he repeatedly removed protection without her consent when they were having sex.
“I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine,” said Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an early endorser of Platner, in a terse statement. “In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also called on Platner to end his campaign for Maine Senate on Tuesday, becoming one of the most prominent voices on the American left to urge the embattled candidate to step out of the race.
At the same time, the mayor’s top political adviser, Morris Katz, was flying to Maine to try to sort things out with Platner. The 27-year-old New Yorker has advised Platner since he launched his left-populist, anti-establishment campaign for U.S. Senate last year.
Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson said that Platner’s campaign has sought to influence the outcome of who may replace him on the Democratic ticket.
Platner’s Senate campaign has paused all of its ads on Facebook and Instagram, according to Meta’s archive. Platner said yesterday that his campaign was considering the best path forward.
Maine Democrats would be in uncharted terrain if Platner does exit the contest. Maine law does not dictate what process the state Democratic Party would use to replace him should he step aside and top party officials have discussed different scenarios.
The Justice Department sent letters warning election officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia that they could face criminal prosecution over noncitizen voting, a spokesperson for the Justice Department confirmed.
Hochul announced $75 million in grants for law enforcement agencies for tech upgrades, but that’s contingent upon complying with a new law intended to curb state and local agencies from aiding federal agencies with “civil” immigration enforcement.
New York Focus is suing the Hochul administration over its refusal to release the governor’s calendars during her time in office.
Hochul suggested that Rep. Elise Stefanik would have been a tougher opponent than GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman this fall, prompting the Nassau County executive to compare the incumbent to Disney villain Cruella de Vil and blast her record.
Hochul will direct state agencies to eliminate or modernize antiquated requirements identified by AI, and examine if task forces or councils have outlived their purpose.
Mamdani and Hochul are cooperating on an ambitious plan to improve bus service across the city. A 51-page report titled “Next Stop: Fast Buses, Better Service” details commitments from both the city and state and spans multiple entities.
“The wealthiest city in the wealthiest nation in the history of the world shouldn’t have some of the slowest buses in America,” Mamdani said in a statement.
After years of building a fan base on both sides of the Hudson, Gotham FC is getting a permanent New York City address, with Mamdani and Hochul announcing that the reigning NWSL champions will move into Etihad Park in Queens in 2028.
A high-rise Midtown Manhattan office building being converted to apartments showed signs of collapsing on Tuesday, prompting evacuations, street closings and an emergency response that disrupted the morning rush around Grand Central Terminal.
The effort to stabilize the under-construction high-rise in Midtown Manhattan was expected to last “into the night,” keeping streets shut down and buildings evacuated, officials said.
David Maggiotto, a spokesperson for the city Department of Buildings, said agency inspectors were called to the scene to investigate reports that a steel beam was compromised on the building’s 21st floor.
Mamdani said the building is beginning to stabilize, with a team of six, including DOB, FDNY, and a contractor, going in for inspection. There were indications the structure was still moving after the initial columns buckled.
A coalition of Muslim groups in New York City will launch a campaign tomorrow to counter the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Mamdani, whose outspoken criticism of Israel has made him a frequent target of Jewish and pro-Israel advocates, is viewed more favorably by American Jews than Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a new poll released yesterday.
Netanyahu went after Mamdani for saying he couldn’t support Israel because the country “privileges” Jewish citizens over those of other religions.
Some longtime education watchers said the dearth of attention to K-12 schools and absence of concrete policy proposals one-eighth of the way through Mamdani’s first term raises questions about how he will manage a core function of the city’s government.
Mamdani’s wife, Duwaji, is co-hosting a pro-Palestinian all-female spiritual retreat in Corsica where they will honor Jesus’ mother Mary, described as a “Palestinian woman giving birth under occupation.”
Big Apple grocers and bodega owners claim city officials are walking into their stores demanding private information about their businesses – even as Mamdani’s controversial plans for government-owned supermarkets pose a looming competitive threat.
Officials have made the shocking revelation that the outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease on the Upper East Side wasn’t caused by a building’s decrepit drinking water system — but by water mist from a cooling tower erected to help New Yorkers beat the heat.
Faced with an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, the Mamdani administration said on Tuesday that it was adopting new tactics to try to stamp out clusters of the bacterial illness more quickly.
The New York City Council moved one step closer to enacting an 18.2% pay raise for elected officials yesterday morning as members heard largely supportive testimony.
Following a series of gun violence incidents over the July Fourth weekend — including two 13-year-olds charged with weapon possession and the fatal shooting of a Schenectady woman — city officials announced their plans to curb violence in Albany.
Monday’s Common Council meeting came and went without the introduction of a bill that would dramatically reshape how elections are conducted in the city.
The Martin Van Buren National Historic Site is closed after dozens of trees were knocked down during storms last week. Crews are working to clean up the damage, but it is unclear how long it will be before the eighth president’s former home can open again.
Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin claims that “nuisance” litigation has been filed against the county to benefit a sheriff hopeful after a union representative and candidate’s father took a selfie at a Jersey Shore bar.
Schenectady’s Rachael Ward is set to appear on November’s ballot on the Conservative Party line, after conceding to incumbent Justin Chaires in June’s Democratic Party primary for the City Council.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
