Albanians gathering wild blueberries (Ermal Meta/AFP/Getty Images)
There are two types of blueberry plants: high bush, which can be domestically cultivated, and low bush or wild blueberries.
The Advantage of Being Wild
David Yarborough, a professor of horticulture at the University of Maine and a blueberry specialist, explains that there are some advantages to harvesting native stands of wild blueberries.
“There are actually hundreds of different types of plants in a field. These genetically different plants have different flavors and productivity. Instead of having one or two varieties or one or two flavors in a field, what we have is a vast mixture of flavors in a field. It gives us a … unique product,” he said.
Blueberry Growers Combine Tradition and Technology
For centuries, Native Americans used wild blueberries in cooking, as medicine, and for dyes. They learned that periodically burning the fields would yield larger harvests the following year.
“Half the blueberry plant is underground [as a] rhizome system,” Yarborough explains, “[when you] burn [the bush] off, you get these new sprouts [from the rhizomes]. You don’t get any production that year, but the second year after that, you get a lot more production.”
Unlike the cultivated fruit, which is usually sold fresh, the smaller wild blueberries are primarily processed for jams, muffins, and pies. Jeff Brann, operations manager for the University of Maine’s Blueberry Hill Farm, says the delicate berries require special handling at harvest.
Blueberries for Health
Blueberries—wild and cultivated—get high marks for their health benefits. It’s been common knowledge for years that the little indigo berries are high in vitamins C and E. But demand for the fruit skyrocketed a couple of years ago when researchers discovered that they were also high in antioxidants. These natural anti-inflammatory chemicals help combat the aging process and may help prevent cancer. Wild blueberries have the highest levels of antioxidants of any fruit.
Because Blueberry Hill Farm is an agricultural research facility, its main purpose is to discover how to grow blueberries in the most efficient and profitable way possible. But the farm is doing its part in health research as well.
Compared to 20 other fruits, wild blueberries had the highest antioxidant capacity per serving.
Scientists at the University of Maine are conducting several blueberry studies. One focuses on the cardiovascular system and the effect blueberries have on improving circulation and reducing inflammation of the arteries. Another is looking at how the fruit might help people feel full on less food.
David Yarborough says a third study is examining how blueberries improve our eyes’ ability to adapt quickly to darkness … which can be life-saving on a dark road with oncoming cars.
“If you get a bright flash of light, like with oncoming headlights, how long will it take you to be able to regenerate and see? Blueberries have been shown to improve that response. It’s because, again, the whole circulatory effect. Your eyes have very small capillaries in them. So if you can improve the circulation in them, you improve the functionality and the ability to recover.”
Yarborough says other researchers have been studying blueberries in relation to Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes.
“[The berries] don’t prevent it,” he points out, “but they help slow the progression of these diseases and improve health and functionality.”
