Source: www.examiner.com Author: Julie LeBlanc                                                         I can’t say I’ve been one for gardening. Or just liking plants, in general, for that matter. I’m the person that killed two rose bushes within two weeks while living in the school dormitories last year. It’s things like this that make you contemplate becoming a super-villain. Even I was amazed to find out that blueberries are not, in fact, berries at all. They’re not even fruit. Reference.com claims they are “epigynous fruits” which, aside from having a name that could tongue-tie Mr. Ed, means that they are actually flowers. Tiny, blue, delicious flowers that go fabulously with vanilla ice cream. Instead of parts like the stamen and petals falling off when the bud is ready to ripen, these organs stay attached and actually form alongside the plant ovary to create these little “false fruits.” Other veggies in this genre of plants include cucumbers, melons, bananas and figs. Sneaky little buggers. “The health properties of blueberries” or “Why you need another reason to eat these for dessert”: Containing only about 40 calories in ½ a cup, blueberries have ascended to the superfood pantheon which includes, among other things, açai berries, red wine and plums. Like their cancer-fighting counterparts, blueberries contain high levels of anthocyanins and antioxidants, two phytonutrients which amp up the body’s immune system and to detoxify harmful chemicals. Some species even contain reservatrol, another phytonutrient that aids in fighting cancer and Alzheimer’s.  Red grapes and red wines are well-known for containing high [...]