North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["JAMES ELIE" <tomelzear@earthlink.net>]

Hey John,

 

Have you considered the half-high varieties such as those offered by Oikos Tree Crops or St Lawrence Nursery.  Coming from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan I have downed quite a few wild blue berries and the half -highs sound like they may have the best qualities of the wild and commercial varieties.  I now live in Wisconsin and have tried growing them down here but the clay soil and the warmer summers do not seem to be their friends.  I gave my six plants to a friend in the Escanaba Michigan area.  He seems to be having much better luck (putting the blueberries back in their native habitat helps) but neither of us may be as discriminating  when it comes to blueberry flavor.  For us, picking the wild berries was always a lot of work.  Even with the wild blueberries across the back of his property, he never gets back there when they're in season. 

Anyway, they sound like a nice option if its possible to get that wild blueberry taste in a taller bush with a larger berry.

 

Good Luck,

 

Jim

 

----- Original Message -----

From: John Barbowski

To: North American Fruit Explorers

Sent: 5/30/2009 12:44:34 PM

Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Blueberries in CA

Its nice to know that the blueberry industry is flourishing. It is a good tasting and wholesome berry. Unfortunately, it won't find a buyer in me. Call me a blueberry snob if you will, but the taste of cultured berries does not equal those from the wild. (but then, I like black currents so I might be biased). I was raised on wild blueberries; smaller than the cultivated ones, and according to some studies I have read, higher in antioxidant composition. I am in Ontario where the Canadian Shield dominates a good portion of the geography - much of it prime blueberry habitat. My weekend pancakes and crepes wouldn't be the same without a handfull of this elixir! (along with Canadian Maple Syrup).

While traveling through Maine, I noticed fields and fields of blueberry patches, and then a sign: 'Blueberry Capital of the World'; I'm sure its self-promotion.  But it is interesting that to note that Maine is not in the top three from Ginda's article. The Blueberry is Maine's official fruit.

jmb


also see:  http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Blueberry

               

On Sat, May 30, 2009 at 7:33 AM, Ginda Fisher <list@ginda.us> wrote:

"As recently as 1997, California grew only 196 acres of blueberries
but now it has about 4,500, which are estimated to yield more than 20
million pounds this season. That's still well short of Michigan, the
nation's largest producer at 110 million pounds last year. But when
California's plantings mature, its production may reach 50 million
pounds, exceeding Oregon's, now the third-largest U.S. producer."