EAT MORE BLUEBERRIES

FROZEN  WILD MAIN BLUEBERRIES

LOOK GOOD, TASTE GOOD

Tuesday,  8:30 AM.  10 degrees F, wind WNW, light with stronger gusts.  The sky is clear, the humidity 78%, and the barometer is trending high, at 30.49".  Maybe this is our January Thaw a few days late.
   We have a several hour trip today to Solon Springs and then back, so we have a pretty full day.  But it looks like the roads will be O.K., as the weather is beautiful.
   I am a great fan of blueberries, which are known for their health benefits as anti-oxidants.  In fact,  I credit blueberries for greatly improving my eyesight.   We eat lots of blueberries,  as we live in blueberry country; a northern climate and acidic, sandy soil.  Bayfield is home to Highland Valley Farms, the largest blueberry grower in Wisconsin. And the Moqua Barrens, with thousands of acres of wild blueberries, lies immediately to our southwest, and there are large blueberry bogs on Madeline Island.  Our wild blueberries are mostly Vaccineum angustifolium, which are low growing plants that in the wild grow in large clones, but many other species of Vaccinium are probably also present in the barrens, including the taller V. myrtilloides.  
   The cultivated blueberries are mainly selections of the high bush blueberry, V. corymbossum, which are much easier to pick, both by hand and mechanically.  Horticultural varieties are usually chosen from plants that have larger fruit, or are pest and disease resistant, or have other qualities desirable for production and marketing, making them substantially different in many respects from the bulk of their wild progenitors.  Hybrids between species and selected varieties have of course also been made.
   I have picked both wild and cultivated blueberries, the former mostly being very difficult to pick as one  must traverse uneven terrain and be constantly stooped over.  It takes a long time and a lot of effort to pick wild berries, and it is seldom done in our area commercially, although in times past the Indians did pick them to sell.
   As far as taste is concerned, by and large, wild and cultivated blueberries are different.  I can't say one is superior to the other; the wild berries tend to have a stronger flavor, and being smaller are more chewy.  As for health benefits both rank high in antioxidants and micronutrients, according to the USDA, but the wild have twice the antioxidant content, even higher than cranberries.  One could make the case that wild berries are superior in health benefits, but one is likely to consume more of the larger, more readily available cultivated berries, so I suspect the question is moot, and that this is the case with other kinds of wild berries, such as strawberries and cranberries.
   In recent years cultivated blueberries have become available out of season from South America (and are grown as well in Australia, New Zeeland and South Africa, from where they are shipped mainly to Europe and Asia ) and at a price not much higher than local or other North American berries.  And of course all blueberries seem to freeze exceptionally well and Joan and I consume as many frozen berries as fresh.  A few weeks ago, our freezer being empty of our local berries, I bought some frozen berries at the supermarket, and much to my surprise and delight they were wild berries harvested by Wyman's of Main.  We found them to be quite good, and a great source of antioxidants.  I subsequently visited their web site, w.w.w.wymans.com and found it very interesting.
   Wyman's of Main was founded in 1874, and since 1900 has been principally devoted to the harvesting and marketing of wild blueberries. They own 10,000 acres of Main sand barrens but have cooperative subsidiaries in the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edwards Island.  They alternately harvest and burn half their acreage, a practice originated by the Indians, to produce better fruit, reduce competition, and destroy insects and diseases.  They consider their operations sustainable, utilizing Integrated Pest Management, but since they do spray individual plants when necessary and sometimes use fertilizers, they are not registered as organic growers.  The berries are harvested by hand when necessary but are also  now harvested by machine where the ground is level.  The web site has a video that explains much of their operation.
   As sustainable growers they are dedicated to maintaining the resource base so that it can be passed on unimpaired to future generations.  They consider economic profitability, environmental heath, and social equity to be the foundations of a sustainable business.  Their web site has a great deal of information that supports their sustainable image.
   I am always pleased to find what I can promote as a truly admirable agricultural business, as so much of American agriculture and horticulture is constantly derided by the eco-extremist leftists as being anti-envioronment, antisocial "corporate agriculture."   The business sector, as well as government and  non-profit organizations, have elements which are anti-social or anti-environment and need to be controlled with appropriate legislation and enforcement.  But all too often the great benefits of free market agriculture are ignored and demeaned, even though we would all be ill-fed without it;  in particular the socialists, utopians and ivory tower college professors, most of whom, like the rest of us, would soon starve to death if not fed by modern agriculture.
   Eat more blueberries!