Simple recipes spoke with Kate McCarty, University of Maine Cooperative Extension food systems professional, and Lily Calderwood, Extension wild blueberry specialist and assistant professor of horticulture, about best practices for blueberry storage. Calderwood explained that blueberries should not be washed before storage because they are covered in a waxy coating called ‘bloom’, which fresh-pack and fresh-frozen growers preserve to prevent the fruit from rotting. McCarty said blueberries can also be frozen. “Sometimes I just stick the whole flat in the freezer when they are in abundance in August, but I actually don’t recommend that! Instead, measure the berries in portions you will use, such as a cup for your favorite shortbread or a pound for your favorite pie,” McCarty said. Yahoo! News and MSN shared the article Simply Recipes.