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market-farming - RE: Info on huckleberries?

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  • From: "Bill Shoemaker" <wshoemak AT inil.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: RE: Info on huckleberries?
  • Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 15:38:42 -0500




>Bill,
>concerning huckleberries. Our farm is in Virginia in the Bull Run
>Mountains. Growing wild, all over the mountains are several
>varieties of a 'blueberry'. Much smaller than commercial varieties,
>The most common produces a smallish dark blue berry with multiple
>little seeds. The other is a somewhat larger berry but a lighter
>shade of blue. Do you have any idea for a name for these berries
>except for 'blue berries'
>The country folk, a hundred years ago, used to burn the sides of the
>mountain so more berries would be produced.


Blueberries are north american natives with more than twenty species. Your
"blueberries" are probably one of these wild species not related to the
commercial types, which are usually from one of only three species. To
identify your wild types would take some exacting investigation. My guess is
that they are a southern mountain lowbush type. Your description of what the
country folk would do is right on target. I believe the indians of Maine
would do the same up there for their wild blueberries. I envy you, having
them in the neighborhood. Commercial varieties can't seem to touch the
flavor of wild ones.

By the way, huckleberries aren't the only cousins of blueberries.
Cranberries and lingonberries are related, as well as some real odd ones
like, whortleberry, deerberry, bilberry, sparkleberry and farkleberry (no
kidding!).

Bill Shoemaker
Sr Research Specialist, Food Crops
Univ of Illinois - St Charles Hort Research Center





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