Blueberries – Good for Your Health and Your Wealth
Blueberries are a fruit that can be enjoyed throughout the year, whether fresh, frozen, dried or in various desserts or preserves. Let’s talk about these small, versatile blue (actually purple) berries and their contribution to the health and wealth of humankind.
Origin and History of Blueberries
Blueberries are native to North America. Scientists have determined that blueberries have been around for over 17,000 years. Just how they came to this conclusion is way beyond the scope of this post, so we’ll have to take their claims at face value.
Explorers and settlers found wild blueberries when they first arrived on the shores of North America. They were berries only found in the wild until the early 20th century.
In 1911, the domestic cultivation of blueberries began. On the east coast of the United States, a botanist, Frederick Coville, encouraged by a farmer’s daughter, Elizabeth White, began crossbreeding various types of wild blueberry bushes to develop a superior berry. It’s from their efforts that blueberries are cultivated and commercially viable today.
Why Are They Called Blueberries
The word berry is from the word berie, which in Old English meant grape. People used this word to describe this never-before-seen fruit they encountered in the Americas. Now, we use the word generically to apply to many different fruits.
The blueberry is not blue but rather a deep purple colour. It is, in fact, the only natural deep purple-coloured berry. Why it is called blue is a mystery. Different cultures see colours differently based on the needs of their language.
Miscellaneous Facts About Blueberries
- Blueberries are known as a superfood due to their health benefits.
- They are native to North America.
- One blueberry bush can produce over 6,000 berries per year.
- British Columbia in western Canada is the world’s largest blueberry-growing region.
- Blueberry plants that grow in the wild are called lowbush.
- Cultivated blueberry plants are called highbush.
- There are approximately 30 varieties of blueberries in the world.
- August is National Blueberry Month in Canada.
Health Benefits of Blueberries
We call blueberries a superfood because they have many health benefits. They are low in calories but chock-full of essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients.
Blueberries help maintain a healthy heart and brain function, improve memory, and aid in controlling blood sugar levels. They are everything you could want in a healthy food. If you want more about the health benefits of blueberries, you should Google a health site because I’m even starting to bore myself. So, let’s move along.
How to Grow Blueberries at Home
Blueberries can be easily grown at home in the garden or even in planters for dwarf varieties. They require an area with full sun and acidic soil that is well-draining.
I find the creative names people choose for different varieties of fruits, flowers, plants, etc., interesting. Here are the top ten types in alphabetic order for growing in your own little garden:
- Biloxi
- Bluecrop
- Blueray
- Brightwell
- Legacy
- Pink Icing
- Pink Popcorn
- Powder Blue
- Sunshine Blue
- Tophat
Click here for information on the best variety for your particular location.
Let’s Eat
Blueberries are very versatile. You can eat them in many different ways. Many people like them fresh-picked when they are in season in July through September, where I live, which happens to be the world’s largest blueberry-growing region, as mentioned above. I don’t like them raw because they have a weird texture and little seeds that get stuck in your teeth.
You can also eat them out of season because they can be frozen or dried. However, the best way to eat them is in baked goods. That’s just my opinion, so try them however you want.
There are many better ways to eat them. There are pies, cakes, muffins, pancakes, jams, jellies, shortcakes, crumbles, crisps, etc. I may have missed some, but those are some of my favourites. Damn, I made myself hungry. I’m going to take a blueberry break.
Okay, I’m back. Let’s take a look at some recipes. Click here for some delicious blueberry recipes.
How to Get Rich With a Blueberry
There are many blueberry farms in the lower mainland of British Columbia, especially in Richmond and in the Fraser Valley. Many of these farmers have recently built large mansions, and sometimes more than one, on their farms for themselves and their family members. So, these blueberry farmers are obviously making good money.
A standard sign on the roadside in front of many of these farms reads, “Blueberry for Sale” or sometimes even “Blue Berry for Sale”. Now, as a linguist, I can’t help but see the humour in these signs. Of course, we all know what the signs mean. They are advertising that there are blueberries for sale on the premises. And from the mansion in the background, we can assume it is very profitable.
But What Is the Sign Literally Saying
First of all, it is a pet peeve of mine when people bastardize the English language, or any other language for that matter, in signage. If you’re not a native speaker of English, that’s not a problem. However, in a business environment, your signs should say what they mean and mean what they say. Get a native speaker to help make you and your business look professional.
Okay, back to what the blueberry sign really is saying:
- I have one blueberry for sale. When it’s gone, I’m packing up and going home.
- It’s a gigantic blueberry, so you’d better have a big truck to haul it away.
- I already sold the one blueberry I had but forgot to take down the sign.
- And the second version says I have a berry for sale. I don’t know what kind it is, but it is blue.
But what do I know? I don’t live in a mansion.
And Now For Your Listening Enjoyment
Here is Blueberry Hill, recorded in 1956 by Fats Domino right at the beginning of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
The above essay is for entertainment and English language study only. For suggestions on how to use this post to improve your English reading and listening comprehension, click here.
Vocabulary
- versatile – adjective; having many uses; can be eaten in many different ways (in this context)
- scope – noun; the extent to which it is possible to range; too complicated or off-topic (in this context)
- domestic – adjective; homegrown or homemade; not in the wild
- cultivation – noun; raise or produce crops; grow crops
- botanist – noun; a scientist who studies physiology, structure, genetics, ecology, distribution, and classification of plants; a scientist who studies plants
- crossbreeding – transitive verb; produce or modify by crossing different breeds; taking the best of different blueberry plants to produce a superior plant (in this context)
- viable – adjective; feasible; practicable, esp. from an economic standpoint; possible and profitable
- generically – adverb; characteristic of or relating to an entire class; general, not specific or special; general
- superfood – noun; any food that has a lot of health benefits
- chock-full – adjective; crammed full or close together; contains many different health nutrients (in this context
- bore – transitive verb; cause to lose all interest by tedious talk or dullness; cause someone to lose interest
- texture – noun; the feel of food or wine in the mouth; how food feels when you bite into it (in this context)
- premises – noun; in the building etc. concerned; that property
- pet peeve – noun; a small, unimportant thing that someone finds annoying
- bastardize – transitive verb; corrupt, debase; change something to make it wrong or offensive
Comprehensive Questions
- How long have blueberries been around?
(a) over 17 years, (b) over 170 years, (c) over 1,700 years, or (d) over 17,000 years - In what year did the domestic cultivation of blueberries begin?
(a) 1811, (b) 1911, (c) 2011, or (d) 2111 - Are blueberries really blue?
Yes or No - Are blueberries native to North America?
Yes or No - One blueberry bush can produce over ________ berries per year.
(a) 6, (b) 60, (c) 600, or (d) 6,000 - Can blueberries be grown in a home garden?
Yes or No - What is your favourite way to eat blueberries?
- What pet peeves do you have?
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