I love these blueberries in progress! I used to grow blueberries in my backyard garden, but when I had cancer, I couldn't keep the deer away and I let them wither. Next year might be time to try again. Thanks for always sharing so much beauty!
Thanks so much, Jason! Cool profile pic, is it new, or did I just somehow overlook it before?
Those sweet little deer are an absolute garden menace 🤣 But the good news is, we can always replant - I hope that more lovely blueberry bushes are in your future! :) 💕
Excellent information and post Sydney. I did not know about the different growing habits of blueberry bushes. That image of the blueberries with water droplets on them is amazing and they look truly delicious!
Oh my goodness! Thank you for sharing all this blueberry beauty! I have never grown blueberries an wonder if they are out there in the wilds of West Virginia. When I get them at the market, I love to pop them in the freezer and eat them as a cool, delicious snack. They say you eat with your eyes first and your photos are a feast. So much goodness.
Thanks so much, Laura! I've read that blueberries do grow wild in WV, so keep an eye out! :) When we lived in the PNW, we used to adore picking wild blueberries along the high mountain trails because they would be cold in the shade. We called it "nature's fridge" 🤣 It's hard to beat a cold blueberry!
The highbush blueberry was cultivated domestically here in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, and that's usually what you get in stores. I've visited the farm where Elizabeth White cultivated them. Wild blueberries are sweeter,and worth getting in the season. I just read a Smithsonian article about how indigenous people are harvesting the in Maine the traditional way with a wooden rake. Pickers still get about 3 bucks for a 20 pound box... I haven't had Maine blues, but I have picked lowbush blueberries wild on Madeleine Island in Lake Superior and they made a great addition to pancakes. I've yet to see the pink varieties.
How fascinating! We planted a few highbush, and it's really neat how much more flavorful they are than store bought - they're actually really comparable to our lowbush for flavor. Hopefully, we'll even see improvement on both as we continue to improve the soils for them 🤷🏼♀️
The first time we encountered wild blueberries was actually picking them along the trails of Mt Baker national forest in WA - they were a family favorite. It was pretty cool to move out here and find them growing right at home! The pink ones we have are just in the ripening process - ours go from green to aqua to pink to lavender to deep blue. I like to try to catch them at all their stages, it's amazingly lovely, like a living watercolor :)
That's fascinating about the traditional methods - there are Passamaquoddy barrens near us, but I haven't seen how they harvest. I'm always happy to hear about indigenous methods returning to our fields and shores - so much wisdom there that we've been ignoring for far too long...
All so interesting Sydney, I wish I could grow blueberries here, I have tried but alas they are unhappy in this climate. Perhaps their bright red glow of commercially picked blueberries is a sign of their displeasure, make that fury at being handles with so little care?
Thank you so much, Susie! Yes, I agree with the fury take - fury looks so fabulous on them!🤣 They sure are tough little plants, who remain healthy and resilient and productive year after year. But I do prefer our small family plot, where we pluck gently and where I have no problem telling them just how wonderful they are in ever color 🤣
Such a great post - I've learned so much, and your photographs are stunning, as always.
I picked blueberries for the first time ever a couple of weeks ago, and we finished the last of them yesterday. They were absolutely gorgeous, and the act of picking them took me back to the days of going to the Pick Your Own (PYO) strawberry farm every summer when I was little. 🫐
Thanks so much, Rebecca! There's really such golden nostalgia about the whole pick-your-own experience - it's no wonder it's spun off a successful little micro-industry!
Every fall when I was a kid, we used to pick wild blueberries in Alaska. They were the smaller variety you mentioned, but incredibly flavorful. Despite all that experience with blueberries, I had no idea the berries turned so many colors when they were ripening.
Thanks, Sarah! Isn't it so fun?!? I never knew it either until I was in a position to notice them every day for a while - so wild how many new things are just waiting for us to discover them that way :)
What a beautiful essay, Sydney! Your photos are jam up. Wink-wink. Your writing took me back to my youth. When huckleberries ripened (low bush) my parents would visit my mother’s parents where my brother and I were issued picking gear. Grandma, a wonderful baker, would have a full size Crisco can for each. Grandad would drill holes and install hoops from heavy wire clothes hangers. Next, giving us each a long, sturdy walking stick, he’d nearly shout, “Beat the bushes with the sticks to drive out snakes! And no spriggles! Berry stems. He wasn’t joking about snakes. Copperheads And Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes were both common to NW Pennsylvania. Returning with only a partially filled bucket was not allowed. Sigh. Your artwork is stunningly beautiful.
Thanks so much, Gary! What a wonderful story - thank you for sharing these memories! I'm actually really grateful there are no poisonous snakes here in Maine - that's one worry off a mama's mind while encouraging the kids to explore nature!🤣 Spriggles for berry stems - what a wonderful new word!
Beautiful. I was admiring all the different shades of berries on the Oregon grape shrubs in the woods today. (Which aren't actually grapes, I suspect they're related to blueberries.). And it sounds like those commercial plants are flaming mad about the rough handling! Lol
Thanks so much, Lindsay! Oregon wild grapes are fascinating - I had to go look them up :) There are so many interesting wild forest berries, all shapes and sizes..."flaming mad"🤣🔥🤣
Beautiful! I never thought about where blueberries are native to. We have wild blackberries here in Australia and a native raspberry but I’ve never heard of wild blueberries. I had a potted plant near my back door for a few years and loved grabbing a berry or three each time I went outside. Hanging the washing out became such a pleasure. But I planted it out in the back garden and lost that pleasure. The birds were ecstatic though. They ate everything that grew. Sigh.
Such beautiful photographs. Thanks so much for sharing. 🤗🤗😘💕
Thanks so much, Beth! All the little different wild berries are so fascinating, but I do have a special place in my. heart for the blueberries. They're just so YUMMMY! 🤣
Oh my goodness, those birds - they're not always the best at sharing, are they?🤣💕
I love these blueberries in progress! I used to grow blueberries in my backyard garden, but when I had cancer, I couldn't keep the deer away and I let them wither. Next year might be time to try again. Thanks for always sharing so much beauty!
Thanks so much, Jason! Cool profile pic, is it new, or did I just somehow overlook it before?
Those sweet little deer are an absolute garden menace 🤣 But the good news is, we can always replant - I hope that more lovely blueberry bushes are in your future! :) 💕
Excellent information and post Sydney. I did not know about the different growing habits of blueberry bushes. That image of the blueberries with water droplets on them is amazing and they look truly delicious!
Thanks so much, Neil!
Oh my goodness! Thank you for sharing all this blueberry beauty! I have never grown blueberries an wonder if they are out there in the wilds of West Virginia. When I get them at the market, I love to pop them in the freezer and eat them as a cool, delicious snack. They say you eat with your eyes first and your photos are a feast. So much goodness.
Thanks so much, Laura! I've read that blueberries do grow wild in WV, so keep an eye out! :) When we lived in the PNW, we used to adore picking wild blueberries along the high mountain trails because they would be cold in the shade. We called it "nature's fridge" 🤣 It's hard to beat a cold blueberry!
The highbush blueberry was cultivated domestically here in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, and that's usually what you get in stores. I've visited the farm where Elizabeth White cultivated them. Wild blueberries are sweeter,and worth getting in the season. I just read a Smithsonian article about how indigenous people are harvesting the in Maine the traditional way with a wooden rake. Pickers still get about 3 bucks for a 20 pound box... I haven't had Maine blues, but I have picked lowbush blueberries wild on Madeleine Island in Lake Superior and they made a great addition to pancakes. I've yet to see the pink varieties.
How fascinating! We planted a few highbush, and it's really neat how much more flavorful they are than store bought - they're actually really comparable to our lowbush for flavor. Hopefully, we'll even see improvement on both as we continue to improve the soils for them 🤷🏼♀️
The first time we encountered wild blueberries was actually picking them along the trails of Mt Baker national forest in WA - they were a family favorite. It was pretty cool to move out here and find them growing right at home! The pink ones we have are just in the ripening process - ours go from green to aqua to pink to lavender to deep blue. I like to try to catch them at all their stages, it's amazingly lovely, like a living watercolor :)
That's fascinating about the traditional methods - there are Passamaquoddy barrens near us, but I haven't seen how they harvest. I'm always happy to hear about indigenous methods returning to our fields and shores - so much wisdom there that we've been ignoring for far too long...
All so interesting Sydney, I wish I could grow blueberries here, I have tried but alas they are unhappy in this climate. Perhaps their bright red glow of commercially picked blueberries is a sign of their displeasure, make that fury at being handles with so little care?
Thank you so much, Susie! Yes, I agree with the fury take - fury looks so fabulous on them!🤣 They sure are tough little plants, who remain healthy and resilient and productive year after year. But I do prefer our small family plot, where we pluck gently and where I have no problem telling them just how wonderful they are in ever color 🤣
And you are in the blueberry Mecca for sure!
Right?!? I am right down the road from Wild Blueberry Land, that crazy little blue geodesic dome, if you've ever heard of it. Absolutely hilarious. 🤣🫐
I have been there and sat on the throne wearing a crown
Oh my gosh, Amie, I’ll always picture that now 🤣🫐👸
Such a great post - I've learned so much, and your photographs are stunning, as always.
I picked blueberries for the first time ever a couple of weeks ago, and we finished the last of them yesterday. They were absolutely gorgeous, and the act of picking them took me back to the days of going to the Pick Your Own (PYO) strawberry farm every summer when I was little. 🫐
Thanks so much, Rebecca! There's really such golden nostalgia about the whole pick-your-own experience - it's no wonder it's spun off a successful little micro-industry!
Wow! Thank you for a fascinating read!
Every fall when I was a kid, we used to pick wild blueberries in Alaska. They were the smaller variety you mentioned, but incredibly flavorful. Despite all that experience with blueberries, I had no idea the berries turned so many colors when they were ripening.
Thanks, Sarah! Isn't it so fun?!? I never knew it either until I was in a position to notice them every day for a while - so wild how many new things are just waiting for us to discover them that way :)
So beautiful! Both nature and how you described it!
Thank you so much, Daniela, so glad you joined me for this episode! :)
This is a stunningly beautiful look at the blueberry - it's a deep respect for plants at the highest level!
Thank you so much, Jack! I do definitely have a deep respect for plants, so glad that's come through! :)
The colours is these are beautiful Sydney. Such gorgeous photography 💛
Thanks so much, Emily!
It's amazing how wild blueberries respond to rough treatment with such beautiful brilliance...
I think so too, Bree!
I love this and I haven't even read it yet. Thanks for your eye for beautiful images and at least as beautiful words. Thanks for the anticipation.
🤣Thanks so much, Peter!
What a beautiful essay, Sydney! Your photos are jam up. Wink-wink. Your writing took me back to my youth. When huckleberries ripened (low bush) my parents would visit my mother’s parents where my brother and I were issued picking gear. Grandma, a wonderful baker, would have a full size Crisco can for each. Grandad would drill holes and install hoops from heavy wire clothes hangers. Next, giving us each a long, sturdy walking stick, he’d nearly shout, “Beat the bushes with the sticks to drive out snakes! And no spriggles! Berry stems. He wasn’t joking about snakes. Copperheads And Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes were both common to NW Pennsylvania. Returning with only a partially filled bucket was not allowed. Sigh. Your artwork is stunningly beautiful.
Thanks so much, Gary! What a wonderful story - thank you for sharing these memories! I'm actually really grateful there are no poisonous snakes here in Maine - that's one worry off a mama's mind while encouraging the kids to explore nature!🤣 Spriggles for berry stems - what a wonderful new word!
Beautiful. I was admiring all the different shades of berries on the Oregon grape shrubs in the woods today. (Which aren't actually grapes, I suspect they're related to blueberries.). And it sounds like those commercial plants are flaming mad about the rough handling! Lol
Thanks so much, Lindsay! Oregon wild grapes are fascinating - I had to go look them up :) There are so many interesting wild forest berries, all shapes and sizes..."flaming mad"🤣🔥🤣
Beautiful! I never thought about where blueberries are native to. We have wild blackberries here in Australia and a native raspberry but I’ve never heard of wild blueberries. I had a potted plant near my back door for a few years and loved grabbing a berry or three each time I went outside. Hanging the washing out became such a pleasure. But I planted it out in the back garden and lost that pleasure. The birds were ecstatic though. They ate everything that grew. Sigh.
Such beautiful photographs. Thanks so much for sharing. 🤗🤗😘💕
Thanks so much, Beth! All the little different wild berries are so fascinating, but I do have a special place in my. heart for the blueberries. They're just so YUMMMY! 🤣
Oh my goodness, those birds - they're not always the best at sharing, are they?🤣💕