| The blueberry has a long and popular history with | | | | how Native Americans along the way smoked wild |
| humans. Considered a very old species, it was once | | | | blueberries as a form of preservation for winter, and |
| known as "star berry" by the Native Americans | | | | also pounded wild blueberries into meat, which they |
| because of the perfect five-pointed star shape that | | | | then smoked and dried. Both the natives and settlers |
| forms on the blossom end of each berry. Native | | | | used other parts of the wild blueberry plant as well |
| legend tells that the Great Spirit sent the berries to | | | | for teas and medicinal purposes. |
| the earth to nourish the children during a famine. | | | | In the early 1900s, Elizabeth White and Dr. Frederick |
| Wild blueberries are native to North America, with | | | | Coville conducted breeding work to crossbreed |
| varieties adapted to locations around the world from | | | | varieties of the wild highbush blueberry for an |
| the tropics to Alaska. New immigrants from Scotland | | | | easy-to-harvest tall growing berry plant good for |
| remembered a similar berry they called the blaeberry. | | | | home gardens and farms. With continued breeding |
| Immigrants from England saw similarities to their | | | | and natural selection, their work resulted in today's |
| whortleberries back home. The Danish found the | | | | cultivated blueberry varieties. However, wild lowbush, |
| New World berry to be remarkably like their wild | | | | hand-harvested blueberries are also a niche industry |
| bilberries, and settlers from northern Germany saw | | | | of their own, offering smaller and intensively flavored |
| them as kin to their own bickberren. Closely related | | | | fruits. Today, in Maine for example, a certified organic |
| New World blueberry cousins also include the | | | | wild blueberry farm sells the berries as fresh, frozen, |
| cranberry, and the wild huckleberry, the latter of | | | | dried and in preserves. |
| which most agree (although the debate continues) | | | | By the late 20th century, most homeowners had |
| has larger seeds than the wild blueberry, and is often | | | | dropped the time-honored tradition of having a few |
| mistaken for wild blueberries. Blueberries, | | | | berry bushes in their backyards, whether blueberries, |
| huckleberries and cranberries are in the "Heath" family | | | | gooseberries, currents or other types. By the end of |
| in the genus Vaccinium. | | | | the 20th century, berries became more of an item |
| Long established within the New World's native | | | | that showed up in the supermarket as a commercial |
| cuisine, the French explorer Samuel de Champlain | | | | product. But local blueberry farming and home |
| noted natives harvesting the berries along what is | | | | growing are old traditions enjoying a revival. U-pick |
| now Lake Huron, where they were then dried, | | | | blueberry farms are finding visitors come from miles |
| beaten to a powder, and mixed with water, cornmeal | | | | to pick their own berries in the sunshine, and to give |
| and honey to create "Sautauthig," a sort of pudding. | | | | their children a sense of harvesting fresh from the |
| Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, appointed by | | | | earth. And people with secret family recipes made |
| Thomas Jefferson to explore the Columbia and | | | | with blueberries are selling kitchen-created blueberry |
| Missouri Rivers and inform Native tribes that traders | | | | items over the Internet and to local customers. |
| would soon be coming to buy their furs, witnessed | | | | |