Blueberries have been growing wild in abundance across North America for centuries. It has been a staple food source throughout the ages. Each culture has used blueberries for different resources besides food too.
I remember picking wild blueberries with my grandparents in the woods of Alabama as a girl. I didn’t like the texture of them very much but I did enjoy walking through the woods hunting for them. Maybe that is why there are so many children’s books with the subject surrounding blueberries. One of my favorites is Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey.
Native Americans called blueberries “star fruit” because of the impression the bloom made on the fruit. They also used blueberries for many medicinal purposes like coughs and other ailments. Native Americans would use blueberries for the color to make dyes for their clothing. Blueberries were also an ingredient in a dry meat product Native Americans made called Pemican.
Early settlers learned much about blueberries by watching the Native Americans and developing their own methods for their use. Colonists began creating paint with blueberries by cooking it with milk.
During the Civil War, blueberries were a staple food source for the Union troops. They were picked, packed and sent to where they were needed. Blueberries kept well as long as they didn’t get wet.
Today, blueberries can be found in abundance right in your local grocery store without any effort on your part but to purchase the pint containers. Their abundant health benefits make them a super fruit and a perfect snack choice.
You too can feel like a pioneer in the wild and find a local u-pick farm during blueberry season.
Join us for the video as we visit Sandhill Blueberry Farm in Eustis, Florida. We will interview the owner, Melanie.
This lesson module focuses on farms, recipes, how blueberries are processed and visiting a commercial farm too.