Late summer brings one of my favorite fruits: vaccinium corymbosum. Doesn’t that just make your mouth water a bit? No?

Well how about if I translate that into English (I knew those four years of Latin I studied would come in handy some day) and tell you I’m talking about blueberries.

The United States is the world’s largest producer of blueberries, with a total of 564.4 million pounds of cultivated and wild blueberries harvested in 2012, with 84 percent of that amount being the cultivated type.

The state of Michigan leads the pack in production of cultivated blueberries with a (same year) production of 87 million pounds. Other top producers include Georgia, Oregon, Washington and New Jersey.

Blueberries rank as the second most important commercial berry crop in the U.S. with 2012’s total crop value about $850.9 million. (Source: Malinda Geisler, Ag Marketing Center, Iowa State University).

So where does Maine fit into the blueberry picture? Maine is the leading producer of lowbush blueberries, commonly referred to as wild blueberries, which is one of four fruit crops native to North America. Our 2012 harvest was an impressive 91.1 million pounds.

Throughout history, the blueberry has been prized for its medicinal purposes. They are an excellent source of vitamins A and C, iron, calcium phosphorous, potassium and fiber.

They are low in calories, contain no fat and are full of powerful antioxidants. (Antioxidants are thought to help neutralize harmful by-products of metabolism called "free radicals" that can lead to cancer and other age related diseases.)

Blueberries can be kept a bit longer than most summer fruits with just a little care: sort the berries and discard any that show any sign of discoloration or mold. Store them in the refrigerator (covered) in a dry container for up to 2 weeks, and for longer storage, they do freeze well.

Simply spread the berries out in a single layer on a rimmed sheet pan and cover tightly. Pop into the freezer until solidly frozen and then pour frozen berries into freezer bags or other freezer containers and store for future use.

Blueberry lemon tea cakes

To make one large cake use a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan and increase baking time to 55 minutes.

• 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, plus a bit more for coating pans
• 2 cups all purpose flour, plus a bit more for pans
• 1-1/2 cups sugar, divided use
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, divided use
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
• 2 large eggs
• 1-1/4 cups fresh blueberries

Lightly coat nine 2-1/2­ by 4-inch mini loaf pans with softened butter; dust with flour, tapping out excess. (Or use the one large pan, prepared the same way.)

Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Simmer 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until sugar dis­solves and syrup is thickened. Remove from heat and reserve for glazing cakes.

Combine heavy cream, re­maining 2 Tbsp. lemon juice and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/4 tsp. salt in another bowl. Combine butter, lemon zest, and remaining 1 cup sugar in a large bowl and with a mixer on medium speed beat until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in flour mixture in 3 addi­tions, alternating with cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Gently fold in blueberries.

Divide batter evenly among pans and place on a baking sheet. (Not necessary to put on baking sheet if using one large pan.) Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 30 minutes or until a tester inserted near the center of each comes out clean.

Transfer pans to wire racks, and brush tops of cakes with reserved lemon syrup. Let stand for 15 minutes. Turn cakes out from pans, and brush all over with remaining syrup. Let cool completely on wire racks. Yield: 9 mini loaves or 1 large loaf.

Blueberry breakfast blend pudding

Perfect for house guests as this is made ahead of time and sits overnight in the fridge. While you’re relaxing with your coffee in the morning, breakfast is baking in the oven.

• 12 slices French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes, divided use
• 2 pkgs. (8-oz. each) cream cheese, cubed
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 12 large eggs
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 cups milk
• Blueberry syrup (recipe follows)

Place half the bread cubes in a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish coated with non-stick spray. Scatter cream cheese cubes over the top and then scatter blueberries over that; cover with remaining bread cubes.

Combine eggs, maple syrup and milk in a medium bowl and whisk until blended. Pour evenly into baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, place covered dish in a preheated 350 F oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 30 minutes more. Serve with blueberry syrup. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Blueberry syrup

• 2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and picked over
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of water

Combine blueberries, sugar and water in a medium saucepan set over high heat.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium low and as the mixture cooks, mash berries with potato masher to the consistency that you like. Continue cooking for 8-10 minutes or until the syrup coats the back of a spoon. For a chunky syrup, serve as is. Or for a smooth syrup, pass through a wire mesh strainer. (Use the berries in a smoothie!)

Blueberry salad dressing

This is a favorite in our house; serve over baby greens mixed with candied walnuts, a few fresh blueberries, some crumbled feta cheese. Delish!

• 1/3 cup fresh blueberries
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 small clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/2 tsp. honey
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in blender or processor and whirl until smooth. Yield: about 1/2 cup.

Sauteed chicken breasts with tangy blueberry sauce

Sauteed duck breast is also delicious with this sauce.

• 4 boneless chicken breast halves, seasoned and sauteed in a skillet with a bit of olive oil (cover and keep warm)
• Butter
• 2 medium shallots, peeled and minced
• 1-1/2 cup fresh (or frozen) blueber­ries
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

In the skillet that you have just used to saute the chicken, add enough butter to make 2 Tbsp. total of fat in the pan (combination of cooking oil, butter and chicken fat). Heat over medium heat and when butter is melted, add shallots; cook 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add blueberries and water and bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes, mashing about 1/4 of the berries with the back of a spoon. (This will thicken the sauce.)

Stir in the vinegar; reduce heat to medium-low. Return the chicken and any accumu­lated juices to the pan. Simmer, spooning sauce over top of chicken several times, for 2-3 minutes or until hot. Yield: 4 servings.

Blueberry crisp

Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a luscious dessert.

For the filling:

• 6 cups (3 pints) blueberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. coarse salt

For the topping:

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup oatmeal
• 1/4 cup chopped almonds
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar

To prepare the fill­ing: Mix blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl. Trans­fer to an 8-inch square baking dish.

To prepare the topping: Stir together flour, oatmeal, almonds, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Combine butter and sugar in a medium bowl and with electric mixer on medium speed, beat until pale and fluffy.

Stir flour mixture into but­ter/sugar mixture. Using clean hands squeeze topping together into clumps. Sprinkle topping evenly over fill­ing. Bake in a preheated 375 F oven for 50-55 minutes or until bubbling in center and brown on top. Place pan on a wire rack, and let cool 30 min­utes before serving. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Paula Anderson is a freelance journalist specializing in food, entertaining and nutrition. She writes for several newspapers, as well as Maine Food & Lifestyle Magazine. She divides her time between Scarborough and Big Pine Key, Fla., where she lives with her husband Peter. Correspondence can be addressed to her at the Boothbay Register, P.O. Box 357, Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538 or the Wiscasset Newspaper, P.O. Box 429, Wiscasset, ME 04578. You can also write to her directly via email at pander@maine.rr.com.