Desert Blueberries for Dessert

One of the real wonders of the UAE, and the world for that matter, is largely invisible and hardly given much thought by its residents.

It’s the incredible water system, which is a miracle of modern engineering.

Consider these facts about the emirate of Abu Dhabi:

• ” . . .drinking water is provided entirely from desalinated seawater”
• “. . . 90% of groundwater in Abu Dhabi Emirate is saline.”

So it’s no surprise that 90% of the food in the UAE is imported. It’s incredible that beautiful blueberries like these can grow in such a hostile environment.

There’s a huge network of desalinization plants, pumping stations and distribution pipes that supplies life-sustaining water to man, beast and plant.

During a recent visit to the Anantara Desert Islands Resort on Baniyas Island, our tour guide pointed out that there are over 2 Million plants that were manually and individually planted in the sand just around the resort grounds.

And each of one of these plants has its own dedicated water pipe 😮

So it’s an equally impressive feat of agriculture for the UAE to be able to grow a fairly wide array of fruits and vegetables, from arugula to watermelons.

But blueberries?

“Blueberries are typically grown in humid, northern climates that have winter chills, mild summers . . .” That sounds like the USA but definitely not the UAE.

So it’s always a pleasant surprise to come across these beautiful blueberries and cherry tomatoes in the supermarket.

We’re still waiting for Iranian cherries to arrive. Maybe the Emiratis will someday figure out how to grow them here.

Here’s a video of an Abu Dhabi marvel that’s also often overlooked. It’s the light show at the Qasr Al Hosn.

It beats all the light shows we’ve seen from Dubai, Baku, Lyon and New York.