Rambo Blueberries

A little Blueberry History

Where dose this unique fruit come from? Blueberries are one of the few fruits that are native to North America. Blueberries are a flowering plant from the genus Vaccinium family. All species whose English common names include "blueberry" are classified in section Cyanococcus of the genus Vaccinium. Vaccinium is a genus of shrubs in the plant Family Ericaceae. The Vaccinium includes as many as 450 species, such as cranberries, blueberries, bilberries, cowberries, and huckleberries, which are mostly found in colder areas.

Native American Indians

How far back does the usage of blueberries go is anyone's guess. It is highly probable that man has consumed blueberries ever sense his existence and possibly animals before man. What we do know is that Native Americans used Blueberries for many purposes. For hundreds of years the Native American Indians referred to the Blueberry fruit as “Star Berries”. The Native American Indians believed that the great spirits had sent them this “Star Berry” to help in the times of famine. This mythology was passed on through generation after generation. North American Indians used Blueberries for medicinal uses, spiritual reasons, and as for a food supplement.

The medicinal uses of Blueberries by the Native Americans are quite extensive. Tea was made from the roots and leaves of the Blueberry plant. Tea made from the leaves was used as a blood tonic to help purify the blood and as a curative for other conditions. Tea made from the roots was called “Squaw root”, “Papoose root” and “Blue Cohosh”. The Indians believed that the root tea “Blue Cohosh” triggered labor and hastened childbirth. Some of these medicinal uses are still used today as alternative medicines. New research today is continually uncovering the many benefits of Blueberry consumption.

The Native American Indians found many uses for Blueberries as a food supplement. Fresh Blueberries were use extensively; the Indians also dried the Blueberries to be used throughout the winter months. A pudding made with dried Blueberries and cracked samp (cornmeal) called Sautauthig (saw'-taw-teeg), was a favorite dish of the Native American Indians. Later colonial settlers added milk, butter and sugar and this dish was believed to be one first Pilgrim Thanksgiving Feasts. Native American Indians also used dried Blueberry powder and other dried fruits to make a beef jerky called “Pemmican.” Pemmican was made from wild game such as, buffalo, elk or deer. Thin slices of meat were dried either by fire or in the sun, then pounded into a powder like consistency. The powdered meat was mixed with melted fat into this mixture, sometimes dried fruits was added such as Blueberries. Then the mixture was packed into rawhide pouches and ate at a later time.

Wampanoag Indians - passed on their hunter-gatherer skills to the new settlers. During the 1600’s, the English settled the Plymouth Colony of Massachusetts. The Wampanoag Indians showed the Pilgrims how to use native plants to supplement their diet. One of these important native crops was Blueberries. The Pilgrims learned from Native Americans that the Blueberry was an essential native plant to help in their survival. <Top>

Blueberries and the Civil War

During the 1800s, Blueberries would become one of the first fruits to be processed/canned. When the civil war started in 1861, a demand for portable food became necessary to provide nutrition to the Union troops to help prevent scurvy. Blueberries, a portable nutritional juice supplement played an import role in the Union troops diet. The sardine canners of Washington County Maine, switched over from canning sardines, to the highly nutritional Blueberry juice. This market would further develop the canning industry and the trend would spread to other fruits and vegetables. The canning industry began to thrive during the civil war; thousand of bushels of Blueberries were processed for the war. Later after the war, when the soldiers returned home they still had a taste for this Blueberry drink and the market continued to grow into the 1900s. <Top>

State of Maine Registered Trademarks http://www.maine.gov/sos/arc/general/admin/market.htm

Today's Blueberry Varieties

Many varieties of today can be traced back to the 1900s. During the early 1900s, Dr. Coville and Elizabeth White developed new highbush varieties, through propagation and hybridization. This was a three party coalition consisting of, Dr. Coville, who offered the knowledge necessary to propagate and hybridize Blueberries. J.J. White, Inc., and Elizabeth C. White offered financial backing, and the Whitesbog infrastructure necessary to carry out experiments on a large scale.

For more information on Elizabeth C. White http://www.whitesbog.org/

Elizabeth White hired select people, referred to locally as “Piney’s”, to carry out the important role of locating the different types of wild Blueberries. Piney’s were knowledgeable about the surrounding New Jersey Pine Barren area and possessed hunter-gathering skills that would be useful in finding different varieties of Blueberry plants. They often had to travel several miles in search of different Blueberry variety types. These skills were extremely important in the wild selection of Blueberries for hybridization. “Piney's” played a very important role in the commercial development of the highbush Blueberry.

Today, we would not have the quality of fresh Blueberries if it was not for the work done by Elizabeth White and Dr. Coville. These efforts resulted in larger, juicy, easier to commercially harvest Blueberries. Commercially, there are basically three variety groups; Vacinnium corymbosum (Northern Highbush), Vacinnium ashei (Sothern Rabbiteye) and Vacinnium angustifolium (Lowbush-wild blueberries). <Top>

For more information on plant Botany http://www.botany.com/vaccinium.html

• Highbush Blueberry: V. corymbosum is the botanical name for this variety. These plants produce an abundance of large, sweet fruits. Highbush Blueberries are found in wetlands and drier upland wooded slopes from Nova Scotia west to Wisconsin, south to Georgia and Alabama.
• Rabbiteye Blueberry: These Blueberries (V. ashei) are excellent for growing in mild-winter regions including the Atlantic coast and coastal Alaska. These tall (from 10 to 25 feet), erect- and vigorous-growing bushes flourish where summers are hot and humid and they tolerate dry periods better than other Blueberries.
• Lowbush Blueberry: These dwarf bushes produce tons of small berries with intense flavor. A single plant usually produces 1 to 2 pints of berries. These Blueberries are very cold hardy, surviving in the wild as far north as Arctic North America. These Blueberries only reach a height of 1 to 2 feet.

Future of Blueberries

Blueberry production is seeing a steady growth across the board. Both consumption and production are on the rise. North America is the largest producer and is responsible for 90% of all Blueberry production, including being the largest Blueberry consumers in the world. The State of Maine is the single largest producer in North America and is responsible for 25% of the North American market. Many other countries are continually expanding Blueberry production such as Argentina who increased its production by 400% and Chile being the current largest producer of Blueberries in the southern hemisphere with over 800 blueberry producers in its country alone.

In the US, there is a steady growing utility of the many benefits deriving from Blueberry consumption. Some think Blueberries are the wonder fruit of the 20th century, offering countless health benefits from their consumption. This perfect fruit, consumed by the growing population the “Baby Boomer's” is expected to reach an all time high in 2030-50, when the 65+ blueberry loving population surge will be at an all time high. <Top>