maine Archives - Wild Blueberries

First Ever Wild Blueberry Weekend Planned for August in Maine

Ready to begin a new summer tradition in Maine? Well, we’ve got a new exciting event to share with you. The Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine is putting our state’s iconic, delicious, and healthy wild blueberry in the spotlight this summer with the first ever Wild Blueberry Weekend. Mainers and visitors will have the opportunity to eat, drink, and experience the taste of Maine summers by visiting 15+ wild blueberry farms and 40+ participating restaurants, inns, bars, wineries, and distilleries August 7-8, 2021. For a full list of the participating businesses and local farms (and the incredible activities they have planned), visit www.wildblueberryweekend.com.

“We want Mainers and visitors alike to experience the hardworking, vibrant, and distinctly Maine culture of wild blueberry farming,” said Eric Venturini, Executive Director for The Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine. “Wild Blueberry Weekend is a fun way to engage foodies, families, folks interested in the local food scene, residents and tourists in this iconic Maine food–and help our farms and businesses. Our goal is to make Wild Blueberry Weekend a new, annual summer tradition in Maine each August.”

Learn about Maine’s Wild Places

During the weekend, visitors will have the opportunity to visit 15+ wild blueberry farms located in Midcoast and Downeast Maine to learn how multi-generational family farms have stewarded and harvested this healthy, delicious berry for generations. Locations are offering a range of activities from farm tours to u-pick, hand-raking demonstrations, and even the ability to camp out in select fields. Additionally, visitors can purchase farm fresh and frozen wild blueberries and a number of value-add products like dried wild blueberry powder, jams, syrups, honey, and more.

“We want visitors to learn that wild blueberries are not ordinary blueberries. Wild blueberries have a rich, cultural history that we want to share, and they are grown and harvested in a way that is truly unique to Maine’s coastal landscape. Wild blueberries have thrived in this region for thousands of years–they are not planted like ordinary blueberries. Instead, they grow where nature put them, and are nurtured and harvested by Maine farmers,” continued Venturini. “Our farmers love what they do and are excited to share their stories with you. I encourage everyone to come up to Maine, see what the wild difference is for yourself, experience the natural beauty of a Maine wild blueberry field, and most importantly, eat and enjoy Maine wild blueberries.”

Plan Your Wild Blueberry Weekend Itinerary–Fun for the Whole Family

If you’re heading to Maine this August or simply live here plan your family’s weekend itinerary by browsing the Wild Blueberry Weekend map that highlights 40+ participating restaurants, bars, wineries, and eating establishments, as well as the 15+ participating wild blueberry farms. Plus, you’ll have a chance to highlight you wild experiences and win prizes by following along with @wildblueberries on Instagram and Facebook and using #WildBlueberryWeekend on social media.

“We’re very excited to launch this first ever, Maine wild blueberry weekend and hope to make it a tradition that Mainers and tourists look forward to each year. Don’t miss out on the fun. Plan your Wild Blueberry Weekend today,” concluded Venturini.

To learn more about Wild Blueberry Weekend, visit www.wildblueberryweekend.com. If you’re curious about the health benefits, origin, and eating wild blueberries, visit www.wildblueberries.com for research, recipes, and more.

Stonewall Kitchen’s Amazing Wild Blueberry Jam

An interview with Stonewall Kitchen Product Developer Michele Cole

Michele Cole’s history with Stonewall Kitchen reaches back to the early days, when two young entrepreneurs named Jonathan King and Jim Stott had the bold idea to launch a specialty food business in Maine after creating their famous Wild Maine Blueberry Jam. It should be noted that Maine in 1991 was not exactly the epicenter of entrepreneurship: the local economy was struggling and the state was probably best known that year for ‘The Perfect Storm,” which ravaged the eastern seaboard and left thousands without power. But for King and Stott, it was the beginning of a love affair with gourmet food that has helped establish Maine’s reputation as a glowing constellation of innovative chefs and artisan foodmakers.

After more than twenty years of developing recipes for jams, chocolates, marinades, marmalades and buttered scones, Stonewall Kitchen’s resolve for the importance of flavor remains as strong as it did on day one. Product developer Michele Cole is unequivocal about the role that taste and ingredients have played in the success of the Stonewall Kitchen brand. She is as passionate as ever about her company’s founders and her role at Stonewall Kitchen today. Michele possesses a kind of lyrical reverence for food. When describing flavors, she often closes her eyes and seems to tap into a deep well of sensory experience. Her relationship with food transcends language and her tenure at Stonewall Kitchen could be summed up as a 20-year quest for the perfect gourmet creation.

As it turns out, Michele’s pursuit could also be viewed as the search to match or daresay rival the company’s very first product. Indeed, Stonewall Kitchen’s Wild Maine Blueberry Jam is not only the company’s very first creation, but remains their top selling product.

Stonewall Kitchen Maine Wild Blueberry Jam

To put it all into perspective, Stonewall Kitchen’s production team churns up and simmers its famous wild blueberry jam recipe once a month, averaging upwards of 35,000 13-ounce jars per batch. By the end of 2015, they expect to fill 40,000 jars per month. This does not take into account the popular Mini Wild Blueberry Jam, which averages 20,000 jars every 6 weeks. In total, Stonewall Kitchen is producing over a half-million jars of Wild Blueberry Jam per year. In the process, they are helping to spread the passion and appetite for Maine’s 10,000-year-old berry.

It was a pure pleasure to learn the story behind this simple, unadulterated jam, not to mention how one very special recipe in a beautiful glass jar, could spearhead Stonewall Kitchen’s two-decade long success story.

What are the values that customers associate with your brand?

Our customers are coming to us looking for high quality and authenticity. That is what we’re all about and it’s what they expect from us.

What are the key considerations that go into making Stonewall Kitchen foods?

Well, one thing is for sure, we are always looking to get a hold of the very best ingredients and we taste all kinds of them. Flavor is always number one for Stonewall Kitchen. We don’t do “regular.” We’re a specialty food company and every ingredient that we use has to pass our palate.

What do people seem to love about the Wild Blueberry Jam?

As soon as people taste it, they know they are enjoying something really different and really extraordinary. When people try it for the very first time, you can see from their expression just how special it is.

As a chef, what do you love about Wild Blueberries?

The Wild Blueberry is one of those truly exceptional fruits. It’s sweet, it’s tart, its got mineral notes, it’s juicy, and it’s not ordinary. There’s simply nothing like it. It’s just one of the best things in the world, and on top of that, it’s loaded with antioxidants.

Does using a frozen berry make it harder or easier from your standpoint as a chef?

Frozen Wild Blueberries are so easy to work with and the IQF (individually quick frozen) process really ensures that the quality remains intact. Wild Blueberries are great in sauces, jams and in baked goods, partly because they are small, and also because they freeze really well and thaw really well. A frozen Wild Blueberry is the second best thing, short of standing in a field and picking them yourself.

So the Wild Maine Blueberry Jam has become a staple for Stonewall Kitchen?

Wild Maine Blueberry Jam is the heart of our company. It’s how people identify us. There’s even a company policy at Stonewall Kitchen that states we simply cannot run out of Wild Blueberry Jam. Running out of Wild Blueberry Jam is our version of a tragedy.

Tell us the story of how the jam recipe was developed.

The Wild Maine Blueberry Jam got its start when founders Jim and Jonathan were going to farmers’ markets and bringing home products to test over a tiny stove in their home. They were experimenting with Wild Blueberries and Jim was trying to replicate the filling for his Aunt Pearl’s blueberry pie. Eventually, they ended up with this perfect recipe that uses Wild Blueberries, just a little bit of sugar, and a splash of lemon juice. Basically that is the very same recipe we use today.

What does the Wild Maine Blueberry Jam mean to your company today?

The Wild Maine Blueberry Jam is how we got our start as a specialty food company. It was those little Wild Blueberries that kicked it off. The Wild Maine Blueberry Jam has become the gold standard – everything else that we make at Stonewall Kitchen has to meet that high standard.

Here is how Stonewall Kitchen describes their number one selling product:

“Sweet, intensely flavorful wild Maine blueberries, a dash of sugar and a splash of lemon is all you’ll find in our top selling Wild Maine Blueberry Jam. Carefully crafted using only tiny, low-bush blueberries that grow and spread naturally across Maine, this is a delicious jam to enjoy on pancakes, breakfast breads or in an extra special PB&J.”

The 1 Easy Trick Professional Bakers Use for the Best Blueberry Pies

There’s a hot local bakery in Portland, Maine, that’s churning out hundreds of pies a week all year long but especially during the holiday season. At the top of the bakery’s popularity list is Wild Blueberry Pie. In fact, Two Fat Cats Bakery scoops out 210-pounds of frozen Maine Wild Blueberries a week into its delicious pies, scones, muffins, and cakes – that’s seven 30-pound boxes. “We make a batch of 10-15 blueberry pies a day,” says bakery owner Stacy Begin. “In the summer we can’t keep up with the demand.” We visited Two Fat Cats Bakery and chatted with Stacy about why she thinks Wild Blueberry Pie is hands-down her top-selling pie – no matter what the season! She also busts the myths about using frozen Wild Blueberries in pie making, shares some tips on how to use them and says it’s the only way to go to make the best Wild Blueberry Pie.

What’s behind the popularity?

Well, it’s a couple of things. People who come to Portland have heard so much about Maine Wild Blueberries and they want to try them. For tourists it’s on their to-do list, along with trying a whoopie pie and a lobster roll. Everyone loves Maine Wild Blueberries and Blueberry Pie never goes out of season – even over the holidays.

What makes the Wild Blueberry so distinctive?

Two things. First, is size. The Wild Blueberry is much smaller and this gives it a special quality. Second is taste – it’s sweeter and so different from a cultivated berry. I think people who know the story of the Wild Blueberry – how it’s native to Maine and how it’s grown and harvested – they understand that it’s a very intriguing and special berry.

Are frozen berries better for Wild Blueberry Pie?

Definitely. Frozen Wild Blueberries are more dependable because they were picked at the height of their ripeness, which preserves their great taste and texture. Not only that, but there are a couple of myths out there. One is that frozen fruit is not as good in a pie. This is just false. At Two Fast Cats, we always use frozen Wild Blueberries in our pie. A second mistake is that people allow the berries to thaw first. We never thaw the berries in advance.

So how do you make the pie?

The trick is to use frozen Wild Blueberries and keep them frozen.
Don’t thaw them out in advance.
Pour your dry ingredients (sugar, thickener and spices) over the frozen berries and stir gently.
Let everything sit for 15 minutes.
While this mixture sits, the fruit starts to absorb the sugar and the thickener.
The sugar will cling to the fruit and this is exactly what you want.
Give it all a good stir.
Then, pop everything into your pie shell and bake it.

What do people say about your pie?

What we usually hear is: “This is the best pie I have ever had.” I believe it’s not just due to our techniques or our recipes, I think it’s because a lot of people have never had the Maine Wild Blueberry and it’s so different than a cultivated berry pie. It’s an awakening to them. The blueberries are smaller, there lots of ‘em, so you get that delicious taste of the fruit.

Are there any special ingredients in your pie?

We make a very traditional Wild Blueberry Pie—and there is really no secret to the recipe. We just take the time to make it right. A pie can be time consuming and there is a temptation to take short cuts. If you really want a good pie, you have to put the time into it and use the very best ingredients.

Who buys your pies?

Well we all know that Mainers love their pie and we sell to a lot of local people. Tourists love them too and once they’ve tasted our Maine Wild Blueberry Pie, they want to visit again. For them, it’s like a taste of summer. We also sell to the Portland Lobster Company, which dishes up a ton of lobster and Blueberry Pie in the summertime.

Where do you get your berries?

We buy our Maine Wild Blueberries from Wyman’s and Allen’s, both are Maine growers with long histories. We get weekly deliveries of frozen berries throughout the year.

What are some favorite recipes that use Wild Blueberries?

We make a Bumbleberry Pie that uses local apples, rhubarb, raspberries, and Maine Wild Blueberries. This is also known as Heritage Pie – and it’s a recipe that people have made for generations. It’s traditionally made at the end of the season with whatever fruits people had left on hand from the summer.

Make your holiday complete with a Wild Blueberry pie from Two Fat Cats bakery or make your own using this delicious recipe! For other wild twists on traditional Thanksgiving side dishes take a look Danielle Omar’s recipes: Wild Blueberry Relish and Wild Blueberry Stuffing. Danielle is a registered dietitian, clean-eating coach, teacher and cookbook author and enjoys sharing plant-based recipes and nutrition strategies on her Food Confidence blog.

Why Do Wild Blueberry Barrens Turn Red in Fall?

The answer is surprisingly good for you!

The fall season in Down East Maine is more than a little dramatic. The seas turn dark and stormy, the skies turn crisp and blue, and thousands of acres of Wild Blueberry barrens turn fiery red! Why all that red? We turned to resident Wild Blueberry expert Dr. David Yarborough for answers. David is the Wild Blueberry Specialist with the Cooperative Extension and professor of horticulture at the University of Maine, where he has worked for 34 years. We just call him “Mr. Wild Blueberry.”

Why are the barrens so red at this time of year?

It’s all of the anthocyanins in the leaves that turns them that beautiful shade of red. With the Wild Blueberry harvest now complete, this is the time when the plants prepare to go dormant for the winter. And like our New England hardwood forests, the Wild Blueberries give us this annual burst of color that is a result of pigments being synthesized by the plants just before the leaves fall.

Why red and not yellow or orange?

Wild Blueberries turn bright red as opposed to the oranges, purples and yellows we also see in the surrounding plant life at this time of year. The deep shades of red are the result of significant amounts of anthocyanin and the retention of carotenoids — or pigments. The brownish colors we see at this time of year are the result of anthocyanin and chlorophyll. In some plants, like Wild Blueberries, the colors are quite uniformly red. In other plants, such as sugar maples and red maples, the colors can vary considerably from red to yellow to orange.

What are anthocyanins?

Anthocyanins belong to a class of molecules called flavonoids. Not only do they get the credit for our beautiful fall colors, but when we eat the fruit of plants high in anthocyanins we get the powerful health benefits associated with this class of foods. {Tweet this} Anthocyanins act as powerful antioxidants and there is significant research being conducted about the health benefits of an anthocyanin-rich diet.

Where can you get these anthocyanins?

Plants rich in anthocyanins are part of the Vaccinium species, which includes, cranberry, bilberry and of course Wild Blueberries. {Tweet this} But other great sources of anthocyanin include black raspberry, red raspberry, blackberry, blackcurrant, cherry, Concord grape and red cabbage.

We know you can eat Wild Blueberries, but what about the leaves?

Yes, the whole blueberry plant is good for you! The berries are available year-round in the freezer section, where their freshness is frozen at the peak of flavor and antioxidant power. The leaves are also available year-round and can be used for high-antioxidant tea! A delicious tea is available from Highland Organics.

David E. Yarborough is the wild blueberry specialist with Cooperative Extension and professor of horticulture in the School of Food and Agriculture at the University of Maine, where he has worked for the past 35 years. He attended the University of Maine where he received a B.S. degree in wildlife management in 1975 and an M.S. degree in resource utilization 1978. He received his Ph.D. degree in Plant and Soil Science in 1991 from the University of Massachusetts. His research subject dealt with weed-crop competition and shifts in species distributions in Maine’s wild blueberry fields with the use of herbicides. He now does research on developing chemical and cultural strategies for controlling weeds, and works with wild blueberry growers in Maine and Canada to educate them on best management practices that will enable them to increase their efficiency of production and their profitability, so that this industry may continue to remain competitive in the world marketplace. He has published well over 200 research and Extension publications dealing with wild blueberries and with weeds. He was recognized by the IR-4 program when he received the Meritorious Service Award in 2006 and 35 year service award from the University of Maine in 2014.