Blueberries are one of North America’s indigenous fruit
crops, long cherished by native peoples. Early explorers including
Champlain and Lewis and Clark encountered a variety of uses by
various Indian tribes as an important part of their diet and lifestyle
– fresh, dried and powdered. For early colonists, blueberries
were probably one of the first familiar foods discovered on the
North American continent, since they were very similar to other
berry varieties found in Europe. Their abundance, natural sweetness
and versatility made them an immediately welcome addition at a
time when fresh food was in short supply, and sugar was scarce
and expensive. Blueberries were canned and shipped to Union troops
during the Civil War in the 1860s.
Description:
Wild blueberries are perennial shrubs found in the undergrowth
of forests in northeastern U.S. states, and in the Atlantic provinces
of Canada. Plants are propagated from seeds or cuttings. They
produce underground stems or rhizomes, which periodically send
up new shoots and develop roots. One original plant can thus cover
an area ranging from 75 to 250 square feet, depending on the age
of the plant. Originally gathered by hand, fruit is still harvested
using hand rakes, although effective mechanical harvesters are
being developed and improved. Various species abound, including
low bush (angustifolium, nigrum and myrtilloides varieties) and
highbush (corymbosum) varieties, which produce varying degrees
of sweetness in the resulting fruit. For dried blueberries, the
fruit is infused with a sugar solution to create a uniformly sweet
and appealing product for use in baking and confectionery applications,
cereals and granolas, as well as in snacks and trail mixes.
Blueberries have gained increasing recognition from health professionals
for their very high antioxidant properties. Studies of the anthocyanins
and phytochemicals found in blueberries have shown that they provide
a range of benefits, including reducing eyestrain and improving
night vision, counteracting environmental carcinogens, promoting
urinary tract health, fighting sun damage, and protecting against
cardiovascular disease and other age related illnesses. Among
40 commercially available fruits and vegetables, blueberries ranked
#1 in recent USDA studies for neutralizing free radicals. They
are low in calories, low in fat and have no cholesterol, in addition
to being a good source of dietary fiber and packed with other
vitamins and minerals.
Harvest:
Blueberry harvest begins in late July or early August when
the majority of the berries are ripe. As mechanical harvesters
continue to be improved, crops are gathered using a combination
of machinery and hand raking. Harvesting normally lasts until
early September.
Origin: