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More Than Honey: Crediting a Major Player in Nutrition

Pollination relies on a strong bee population, and it is crucial to providing fruits and vegetables to consumers as well as maintaining local economies. The photo above, courtesy of Geoff Leighton, shows bees hard at work in a wild blueberry field in Down East Maine this spring.

Imagine looking down at a plate of food in a world without a bee.

For many of us, that plate would be very different, and that’s especially true for those who strive to fill theirs with healthy servings of fruits and vegetables.

Why is there such a buzz about the bee? Because we rely on honey bees to help pollinate about one-third of our food supply. That includes, to a large extent, the fruits and vegetables that provide us with our most concentrated source of nutrition.

In Maine and areas of Canada where wild blueberry harvests supply the nation, bees are held in high esteem: diets and economies depend on them. The hum we hear as we lean an ear toward a fruit-bearing field in the spring is music to the ears of farmers, and should be to consumers as well.

Bees & Blueberries

According to Virginia Knight, author of The Wild Blueberry Book, Maine’s wild blueberry crop has quadrupled over the past 25 years, and the bee is the reason why. The simple act of sucking nectar from the blossom and delivering it to the hive not only results in glorious honey, but provides us with food that ranges from berries grown in Maine to the almonds in California.

By renting honeybees from beekeepers every May during pollination season – usually two or more colonies per acre – growers can significantly increase their crop yields. Imported hives in the Down East area, where wild blueberries are grown, can number over 60,000, with up to 60,000 bees per hive. The more visits a bee makes to the blueberry, the more seed it contains, which in turn stimulates the size of the fruit. Most farmers strive to maximize return on their acreage by bringing honey bees to their fields, and different owners use different strategies with regard to how many times the bees are sent for pollination.

In Maine and Canada, bees pollinate the blueberries during a period of 3-4 weeks – unusually long, due to the variety of berries that blossom at different times. (You may recall that wild blueberry fields produce many different lowbush blueberry clones, which account for the unique variations in color and size.) While most commercial beekeepers are not in the honey-making business, Knight mentions beekeeper Lincoln Sennett of Swan’s Honey as an exception in her book. Sennett not only rents out bees but benefits from the honey for his own products.

Native wild bees also play an important role in pollination of blueberries, though they are less prevalent than in the past. While native populations fluctuate and are less dependable, they are used to pollinate many smaller, off-barrens fields. Native bees are exceptional pollinators and wild blueberries growers take care to preserve wild bees through conservation practices.

Above, Geoff Leighton navigates barrens in Cherryfield, Maine this spring, protected from the hives’ active bees. Land owners in the Down East area import over 60,000 hives to pollinate their wild blueberry crops. Photo by Anita Clearfield.

Greg Bridges, blueberry farmer and owner of Bridges Wild Blueberry Company, told Wild About Health about the New Brunswick area’s “Blueberry Bee” — a solitary bee that can work in colder conditions and still pollinate. Bridges said that wild blueberry farms must compete for attention with other more plentiful crops that attract native pollinators, and while a huge crop every year is no guarantee when only the native bee pollination is used, it’s a characteristic that makes smaller barrens unique.

Finding Answers for Collapse Concerns

In recent years, the shortage of bees to pollinate crops has resulted in what growers and scientists have considered a crisis. The crisis, termed CCD, which stands for Colony Collapse Disorder, is characterized by bees abandoning their hives. The resulting shortage of bees has a economic impact as well as a dietary one.

Some local farmers have said they have not been affected by a bee shortage, while others report a significant impact. Bridges credits dedicated bee keepers who keep their colonies strong as the key to preserving the population. While some blame commercial beekeepers who work their bees from location to location, some, like Sennett, attribute the wide and varied diet of crops to stronger, healthier bees. And, while culprits ranging from cell phones to pesticides have been blamed for CCD, a recent story from the Bangor Daily News reports that a virus might be responsible.

Companies like Wyman’s who have reportedly been affected by CCD have contributed funds toward research that will hopefully uncover the cause. At the University of Maine, Frank Drummond is currently testing bees as part of research into the cause of CCD. You can read about his interesting research methods.

Despite concerns, this season’s wild blueberry crop seems destined for success. The National Agricultural Statistics Survey report indicates that in New England wild blueberries were assessed at good to excellent development. Good thing – the blues will be responsible for thousands of pies, hundreds of buckles, and even a few martinis, if not a dog treat or two.

You have only to look to the Maine Wild Blueberry Queen to understand the berry’s ubiquity and the necessity of the bee. (She welcomes her successor this year at the Union Fair and Blueberry Festival taking place on August 20-27.) Clearly, the responsibilities of a royal go beyond just looking good in blue – ask any queen bee.

Celebrate the Wild Blueberry!

Driving Home the Mystique of the Season

Recently, the Huffington Post shared their “berry busting myths” in an effort to set straight those un-indoctrinated into the berry vocabulary.

One of these myths concerns size: big berries are juicier.

Of course, it’s part of the long-held fiction that bigger is better. And there’s really no better time to be reminded about the mystique of the small wild blueberry and its inscrutable attraction – especially for those who live in areas of the country where it’s just about to flourish.

The Huff debunks this erroneous line of thinking by explaining that jumbo berries are often not big on flavor. In fact, the article states, the congregation of taste – and of nutrients – is in the skin. So, the higher the skin-to-pulp ratio, the better the taste and the bigger the health benefits. It’s the case with many berries, but the difference is most startling when it comes to wild blueberries.

They summarize it this way: “Tiny wild blueberries, for example, are far more flavorful than larger ones and can be bought frozen year round.” Don’t we know it! In areas of Maine and Canada the size myth is just one more laughable oddity that those in the outside world may be slow to grasp.

The Wild Blueberry Book – Learning the Language of Blue

The myth of “bigger is juicier” is one that a true berry aficionado shouldn’t be buying into. But not everyone, especially those who don’t live where wild blueberries grow, understand the mystique of the local berries. Luckily, there’s help.

As Virginia M. Wright points out in The Wild Blueberry Book, those unfamiliar with the wild blueberry might think they are looking at “baby” berries. But those tiny fruits are not immature berries. Wild blueberries found only in Maine and Canada have many characteristic differences when compared to highbush, cultivated berries found in other parts of the country. Being compact is just one of them.

Wright, a Senior Editor at Down East Magazine, presents a comprehensive primer of blueberry knowledge in her book, and it is a real charm. It provides an insider look from farmers and growers to scientists and festival workers. The mock monthly planner from a Midcoast Maine blueberry farmer is an appealing addition; it invites us in on a process that includes “putting on bees” and using a blower oil burner to throw flames on the fields during their burn cycle. It’s a reminder that these harvesting chores that provide year-round consumption are truly the responsibility of individuals.

In the end, it’s all about eating these fab fruits, so Wright generously includes recipes from the best: a prize-winning blueberry salsa, Blueberry Spice Whoopie Pies, a first-place winner in the Machias Wild Blueberry Cooking Contest, and Baked Stuffed Lobster, a show-stealing prize-winner that uses blueberries and crab meat in the stuffing.

Taste of the Season

Another interesting part of the wild personality of the indigenous blueberry is the variations of taste. As Wright says, one may be sweet, the other tart, one citrusy, one grapey. Individually, they offer a remarkable array of distinctions, while together the effect is a fusion of tart and sweet, strong and subtle, that creates a complex taste experience.

As Wright explains, the variations are a result of the different varieties that grow side by side. “One acre of wild blueberries typically contains well over one hundred varieties of the berry, each one as genetically distinct from the other as a McIntosh apple is from a Delicious,” she states in the book. This genetic diversity is responsible for the berry’s mysterious one-of-a-kind flavor and provides the mystique that simply can’t be captured in other parts of the world.

Maine produces about a third of the commercial blueberry harvest, and Washington County yields 65% of Maine’s total crop. Mid-summer is a perfect time to be in the towns that make up Down East Maine because of the buzz of blueberry anticipation. In June and July, the barrens are done showing off their blazing red color, and the wash of blue has yet to appear. It’s an expectant time for harvesters, who are concerned mostly with fertilizing fields and making preparations by transporting equipment onto the land. Small farmers are at work there, and the large blueberry processors like Jasper Wyman & Sons are also an area presence.

Some farmers have rakers who travel to work the fields by hand, while larger commercial farmers opt for machine harvesting. (Find out more about the harvesting process.) Travel in this part of the state, and you’ll always find lodging areas serving blueberry juice as well as blueberry-themed meals, and local restaurants will be filled with residents associated with blueberries in some capacity, whether it’s as part of a family farm, as a tractor owner, or as a plant worker from one of the larger local companies.

Down East: Abuzz with Berries

Wild About Health‘s recent travels along the coast to Down East Maine was an extravaganza of blueberry value-adds and stretched-out barrens. It was all punctuated in hyperbolic fashion by Wild Blueberry Land, reinforcing the idea that Down East Maine is truly Wild Blueberry country. It’s no wonder Wright covers this landmark in her book, and lets us in on its quirky beginnings.

Built in 2000, Wild Blueberry Land began as Marie Emerson’s dream. Emerson is a chef and wife of farmer and blueberry expert Dell Emerson, and she wanted to replace a stream of changing businesses that occupied a section of Route 1 in Columbia Falls with giant blueberry. And that’s what she did.

The blue geodesic dome makes any passerby want to pull over to gawk or nosh. It’s ultimately a bakery inside of a theme-park, complete with miniature golf course and an inside teeming with pies, cookies, and blueberry-themed tchotchkes and jewelry. It’s weird, it’s big and blue, and it’s there to fill any gaps in your wild blueberry education if you are in need. Consider it part of the culture of the tiny, uniquely delicious berry that is truly a Maine obsession!

Celebrate blueberries!

Plan your trip to wild blueberry country to see it all first hand. Part of the Machias Wild Blueberry Festival, which takes place this year on August 20 & 21, includes Blueberry Farm Tours. The festival draws thousands who come to experience the food, music, pie-eating contests, and unabashed fun.

Can You Still “Summer” with the New Food Plate?

It’s cool, it’s colorful, and it has both nutritionists and consumers saying good riddance to the pyramid.

It’s the New Food Plate, and it may be ushering in a new era of clarity in the world of nutrition, food labels, and portion sizes by helping us make choices about our health out of knowledge, not bewilderment.

The New Food Plate was released by the USDA at the beginning of this month, and it is meant to provide the U.S. Dietary Guidelines in the form of a plate, not through the former “food pyramid”. Using the plate as a visual guide, it clearly indicates how much of what food groups should be on our plate for every meal.

The New Food Plate is also interactive, making the modern makeover official. Click on any part of the Myplate.gov plate to get more information about each food group.

When you’re done clicking, you can get printable healthy plate from WebMD which includes suggestions for each group, and a reminder of what you should have more of (fruits and veggies) and less of (sugars, refined grains). It’s suitable for hanging – right on your fridge.

Fruits and veggies make a prominent appearance on the New Plate – our plate should be half full of them – and that’s for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Part of the plate also involves showing clearer portion sizes, that is, smaller ones, to help us eat less and take in fewer calories.

So, see ya later, pyramid.

But now that we’ve ushered in the New Plate, how do we deal with summer? Summer means sandwiches on the go, lots of grilling and lots of grazing at gatherings and picnics. It begs the question: Now that we’ve got the plate, can we still embrace summer?

We can.

It’s true that food doesn’t always separate itself onto sections of a plate. But as long as your dinner doesn’t come in a bucket, the plate will work for most meals, metaphorically, if not always literally.

Here’s a few ways to parse your New Summer Plate and extract some hidden advantages.

Not Eating More – Eating Further.

First, the New Food Plate is a tip of the hat toward variety. While the old pyramid accompanied pieces of wheat and pictures of iconic apples, the new food plate doesn’t make the same clip-arty suggestions. One of the goals of the plate is to eliminate a meat-and-potatoes rut with our meal plans – there are no pictures suggesting types of food, and the idea is to open up a world of options.

It’s a perfect message to send: eating a lot of fruits and veggies doesn’t have to be dull. For instance, Fruits & Veggies More Matters suggests going exotic to fill your new plate. They have a database of 200 fruits and veggies (and growing) in hopes that there’s something there to catch your eye. Ever tried purple asparagus? How about cracking open a durian? It could be time. You’ve got a whole half of a plate to use up.

And because it’s summer, why not fill your New Plate with a wash of summer color and flavor? Consider “thinking outside the pyramid” as the first step in jazzing up that all-important half of your plate, and giving some fruits and veggies that you’ve been short-changing a chance. Let F&VMM help you figure out what’s in season, and get more ways to eat a cherry than you thought you needed. (Think cherry chutney and cherry and peanut butter sandwiches!)

You can also try these summer recipe ideas from Eating Well. They include Summer Crepes and a Tropical Cucumber Salad that you’ll want to pile high on your new plate (ok, not too high). With fresh local produce around, you’ll have your plate half full with fruits and veggies in a flash.

Sandwich & Sides

It could be a plate conundrum. It’s summer, and some staples simply aren’t plate-dependent. Summer soups, summer sandwiches, quiches, and casseroles aren’t easily separated into sections on a plate in a way that makes it clear what we’re eating and how much.

Let’s start with the biggest challenge: the sandwich. Doesn’t a sandwich defy the confines of the New Food Plate?

Sort of – but you can avoid a fate of eating your sandwich in parts by first loading up on the greens. Sandwiches are fantastic delivery systems for nutritious, plate-filling veggies. This list of summer sandwich ideas from Food52.com doesn’t stint when it comes to ingredients like spinach, avocado, and peppers, and their passion for the open-faced variety cuts refined grains in half. If it helps, picture your sandwich after a high wind hits it and it topples onto your plate – how would those portions look? If you need to add or take something away before you bite, do it.

Then, opt for wheat bread for a healthier plate. Finally, couple those Dagwoodian delights with berries or melon rather than chips, and you’ll have your noshing licked. For instance, when it’s hot, watermelon is an easy substitute for less healthy sides, whether carved, cubed or wrapped in prosciutto, and it makes for nutritious eating. It’s provides healthy lycopene, and high levels of vitamins A and C and vitamin B6.

Two Words: Grilled Fruit

Summer means spending more time with your barbeque, and why not? Stripes of char marking up your food is a sure sign the dog days have arrived. Grilled veggies are a given – sweet corn, pepper kabobs, and eggplant are perfect summer grill buddies. But you are remiss if you go an entire summer without enjoying grilled fruit. It’s a great way to fill a healthy (paper) food plate.

Grilled pears, peaches, and pineapple make perfectly sweet companions for grilled meats or BBQ. The Stir can tell you how to grill the perfect fruit. Then turn to Chaos in the Kitchen for the steps for grilled fruit kabobs, and try out this kid-friendly idea for grilled avocado from Cook Time with Remmi. You’ll swoon in fumes of good fat.

Think wild blueberries are too small for the grill? Ok, they may not be ideal for kabobs, but residents of wild blueberry country in Down East Maine and parts of Canada tolerate no excuses. Blueberries are a crucial part of summer picnics – blueberry BBQ sauce creates a killer summer grilling taste explosion. Check out Grilling Companion for the recipe. And sure, salsa and pies rank high, but wild blues can also can be found sweetening up summer salads and zucchini breads, grill optional. Find some unique recipe ideas and start filling your plate this summer – no sweat.

How Are You Putting Your Food Plate into Action?

As part of this new initiative, USDA wants to see how consumers are putting MyPlate in to action. Here’s how you can help:

1. Take a photo of your plate

2. Share on Twitter with the hash-tag #MyPlate

You can also share MyPlate photos on the USDA Flickr Photo Group.

For information from USDA about the plate and ideas about meal plans, go to Choosemyplate.gov.

Dr. Oz’s “Cancer Detective” Makes a Case for Wild

Dr. Oz has enlisted one of the most deductive minds in plant nutrition research to help us understand the compelling potential of wild plants in cancer prevention. For us, this Sherlock Holmes of health has a very familiar name.

That’s because we spoke with Dr. Mary Ann Lila about the fascinating nutritional research taking place at the Plants for Human Health Institute at North Carolina State University where she is the Director, back in September. She talked to Wild About Health for a two-part series about her work in shifting the global perception of plant crops and their potential, as well as her research involving wild blueberries, including mapping the blueberry genome and its fascinating role in Parkinson’s prevention.

Cancer Prevention: Your Diet, Pt 1.

On a recent show, Dr. Oz referred to Lila as a “cancer detective” because she is responsible for some major breakthroughs in nutritional health, particularly in the field of cancer prevention. At the Institute, she and her team are using the most up-to-date technology to understand the most old-fashioned remedies: plants. Her task is understanding how and to what extent they protect human health.

Lila performs research by testing promising plants, and uses that research in conjunction with knowledge gathered from places like Mexico, New Zealand, Equador and Bostwana. In these countries, she and her team tap native elders so they can better understand how berries are collected and used. Combined with research, this information helps them to scientifically understand something we have long intuitively understood about fruit and its medicinal properties.

Lila’s focus is on deep pigment berries. They hold the key to powerful anti-cancer nutrients. Today, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, and Lila’s detective work entails cracking the case of how berries could lead to stopping cancer in its tracks.

You can find out more about the wild berry mystique at DoctorOz.com and how this translates into protection for our own bodies.

Something Wild

As part of Dr. Oz’s Cancer Prevention series, Lila discusses the compelling cycle of how plants grown in harsh environments naturally have health benefits that are the result of a complex system engaged to defend themselves. Wild blueberries, for example, grow only in Maine and Canada, enduring harsh winters on the coast, and they are prime examples of the wild mystique: wild blueberries are exposed to constant sunlight in the summer, they grow in tough coastal and rocky terrain, and they endure rollicking seasonal shifts.

This otherwise unprotected plant, Lila explains, manufactures its own natural protection. It helps itself endure environmental stress and promote its own survival in its aim to live another season. The wild blueberry’s skin has high concentrations of sun protection; its tough outer tissue wards off cold temperature and salt stress; it naturally discourages predatory insects and invasive microbes; and its bright colors help attract pollinating insects, helping to disperse their seeds. To achieve all this, the plant draws on its own natural components to produce powerful phytochemicals that protect and preserve it and allow it to prosper.

“Stressed for Success”

For human life forms, the benefits from these phytochemicals can’t be overstated. It’s too good to be true that the protection plants use for their own survival and propagation can be used to such enormous effect – aptly stated as medicinal effect – for us. As Lila terms it, these plants are “stressed for success”. The “stress” they endure triggers them to devote their natural resources to accumulating these protective phytochemicals for their benefit and ultimately ours. The anti-inflammatory benefit for heart and blood vessels that phytochemicals provide is medicine we as a population need more than ever as we struggle against increasingly prevalent and deadly diseases associated with these symptoms.

Understanding the difference between wild and cultivated can bring wild’s particular heath advantages into stark relief. Wild blueberries are native to North America and they have little intervention from growers, which allows their natural defenses thrive. In contrast, the berries’ cultivated counterparts are grown for other strengths. That means they have actually been selected against some of the health-protective phytochemicals, Lila explains. And, of course, cultivated plants don’t have the stressors of wild, so they simply don’t produce the protective benefits. Making sure we are eating wild – those native plants indigenous to Maine and parts of Canada – is the key to the most powerful protection against cancer.

In addition to cancer prevention, wild provides plenty of other advantages.

The Wild Advantages:

Superb antioxidant capacity. Wild Blueberries have the highest antioxidant capacity per serving, compared with more than 20 other fruits.
Ability to lower blood glucose levels for diabetics.
Improved motor skills.
Reversal of short-term memory loss associated with the human aging process.
Protection for the heart and help in preventing stroke.
Protection against the effects of aging including its effects on vision and skin.
Promising potential in the prevention of metabolic syndrome.

Learn more about wild at DoctorOz.com, at get recipe suggestions to help you get in touch with your wild side!

A Healthy Pour? Syrup as Superfood

by anolobb

If it’s true, it’s nutritional gold for Vermonters and Canucks and everyone in between: maple syrup could be considered the latest superfood. Something supersweet and superhealthy? Only a sap would be unmoved.

It’s smart to be cautious, however. The term “superfood” gets a significant amount of media play, and we don’t want to condone overuse. Such nutritional hyperbole only contributes to confusion when it comes to what is healthy and nutritious. But lovers of this eleven-point leaf may have reason to be guardedly hopeful.

The Road to Super

First, a look at the superfood nomenclature: We’ve traced the origin of the superfood before, and found nutrition specialist Steven Pratt MD, at the source. In his 2004 book, SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life, he identified key nutrient-rich foods deserved of the superfood label. Foods included on the Superfoods List were all powerfully nutritious and were chosen for their particular ability to prevent disease and support optimum health.

Foods like blueberries, particularly wild blueberries, are widely known as one of the most popular superfoods due their very high levels of antioxidant phytonutrients, which have been proven to help prevent and, in some cases, reverse the well-known effects of aging, including cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, hypertension and certain cancers. Wild salmon, tomatoes, and walnuts were also on the list, and these original superfoods continue to be lauded for there healthful properties.

The super potential of maple syrup, according to researchers from the University of Rhode Island, lies in the detection of previously undiscovered chemical compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, similar to those found in blueberries. Also, part of the interest surrounds the existence of a potential anti-diabetic compound in maple syrup that could help control the conversion of carbohydrates to sugar.

An Anti-Diabetic Compound

It’s true that the data was collected during a research study funded by the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. And, the benefits must be confirmed. But putting aside the source for a moment, any contribution to the research concerning how to reduce the risk of diabetes is exciting.

There are 25.8 million children and adults in the United States – 8.3% of the population – who have diabetes. Canada itself is no exception. The country has unprecedented numbers when it comes to diabetes, according to the Canadian Diabetes Association – one in four Canadians are affected by the disease. While further study is called for, reports indicate that there are “potentially significant implications” to the research that point to maple syrup as a potential new superfood.

Not Far From the Tree

If the news is substantiated, blueberries and syrup — already a perfect combination thanks to the world’s favorite pancake – could be a better one. We advise not going ape (or mape?) with maple syrup until we know more about its benefits, but since we’re just leaving the tree-tapping season, there’s no better time try these blueberry and syrup combinations. In moderation, there’s little doubt that they are mighty super already.

Blueberry Bread Pudding. Served hot, this dish offers a beautiful blue take on a favorite. Make it with frozen wild blueberries, and top with local syrup if you happen to live near bountiful trees.

Wild Blueberry & Maple Breakfast Quinoa With Toasted Pecans. Today, quinoa is a hot ticket—it’s both hip and healthy. Complete with pecans, this is a morning treat that shines with a hint of maple.

Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberries. Here’s the classic combo with a cheesy addition courtesy of Giada de Laurentis, and purported to be excellent in taste and satisfaction.

Baked French Toast With Blueberries. A mix of healthy fruit on top will add a heap of nutrients to this indulgent dish. Make it beforehand for overnight guests who love hearty and healthy.

First Spring Look: Maine’s Wild Blueberry Barrens

A panoramic view of wild blueberry barrens near Meddybemps in Maine’s Washington County, taken today, March 24th. Over 60,000 acres of blueberry farmland stretch across Maine, providing an average 70 million pounds of berries each year. Photos courtesy of Geoffrey Leighton.

Spring is officially here, and for fields being prepared for the wild blueberry harvest, that means the first show of growth which evolves into the astonishing blue blooms that cover the land in late summer.

Maine and Eastern Canada is exclusive territory for wild blueberries. Over 60,000 acres of blueberry farmland stretch across Maine alone, providing an average 70 million pounds of berries each year. Native to these weather-challenged regions, wild blueberries are naturally resilient. They have evolved to grow in acidic soil, thrive through wildly changing temperatures, and use their natural UV protection to survive unshielded in summer sun.

Each wild blueberry crop is the result of a two-year cycle of variable and unpredictable conditions. Crop development is dependent upon the first season’s spring and summer, the extent of potentially injurious frost, the amount of winter snow that provides protection, as well as the next year’s spring and summer weather. Abundant snow is an advantage for wild blueberry production, and this year was a windfall. Snow, in addition to providing protection to the plant, provides plenty of moisture which can increase the size of the bud and the potential to have more fruit per plant.

The plant’s heartiness is all part of the mystique of this fabulous fruit: the result is a naturally healthy antioxidant-rich berry with a distinctive taste and variations in color that can’t quite compare to its cultivated counterparts in other parts of the world.

Snowy winters are beneficial to the crop and can mean bigger bud sizes and more fruit per plant. The spring season brings green leaves and white blossoms of fruit before
late summer turns the fields blue.

These fields would not have seen much activity over the winter months. Growers usually spend little time on the barrens during the winter unless they are engaged in expanding fields or posting farm land to ensure protection from snowmobiles. Families that farm wild blueberry fields would have been doing seasonal winter work or working in other businesses. Some would likely have been engaged in off-season education in an effort to maintain knowledge of farming techniques and regulations, or traveling to farm shows in search of equipment and supplies or to purchase bees.

While these “first looks” at the spring barrens show them sporting some winter baggage, they will soon come to life and present green leaves and delicate white-pink blossoms. Those blossoms will gradually turn their eponymous blue in late July and early August before turning to a crimson red in the fall.

Here’s to a strong season for wild blueberry harvesters!

Read more about wild blueberry growing and harvesting.

Spotlight On: Plants for Human Health Institute

Part Two: Betting Big on Blueberries

The nutrient-rich blueberry has been lauded as an antioxidant powerhouse and true “superfruit”. It consistently tops the lists of nutritionists and scientists alike as one of the healthiest foods for anti-aging and disease prevention. Owed to the high concentrations of nutrients in its deep blue skin, especially in the smaller wild berry, the blueberry’s antioxidant properties contribute to heart, brain and vision health, and serve as a powerful defense against cancer.

At the Plants for Human Health Institute at North Carolina State University, the blueberry is at the heart of some of the most exciting research involving human health and plant food crops. Director Mary Ann Lila’s dedication to revealing even more of its nutritional mysteries has lead efforts that aim to uncover major scientific discoveries in the fields of health and nutrition. In fact, she considers the blueberry a cohesive force at the Institute.

“Blueberry projects have tied together different teams on the campus that otherwise would not be likely to work together,” said Lila of the unique role blueberries play at the school’s Research Campus. “For example, the blueberry genomics research and the phytochemical characterization research that we are conducting here at the Plants for Human Health Institute, North Carolina State University, links us very closely with researchers at University of North Carolina – Charlotte (the bioinformatics and transcriptomics researchers), with NC A&T University (the postharvest quality researchers) and with UNC-Chapel Hill’s Nutrition Research Institute (the epigenetics and human cognitive research).”

The ambitious project Lila refers to involves mapping the blueberry’s genome. Collaborations with researchers around the state offer significant support of resources and technology when it comes to such large scale projects. Ultimately, one of the goals of PHHI is the development of mainstream fruit and vegetable produce with enhanced health benefits. As part of this mission, researchers are engaged in identifying the blueberry’s genetic code in an effort to ultimately enhance breeding lines. It’s one of the most exciting studies the institute is engaged in, said Lila.

In addition, blueberry-themed research has contributed to the strong relationship with The David H. Murdock Research Institute, a non-profit institute designed to support research at the North Carolina Research Campus. And, it has been the catalyst for a new USDA program on blueberry health benefits and individualized nutrition. Lila credits research involving blueberries for stimulating staff expansions and for the decision to embed USDA researchers on the campus to work on integration of blueberry research at the plant, animal, and human clinical levels – a program that looks at responders and non-responders to different classes of phytochemicals. “Getting blueberries in there at the ground floor level has helped to spur momentum for research at the institute,” Lila said. “It is exciting. It dovetails and synergizes with what we are already doing and makes us a tour de force for blueberry research worldwide.”

A recently publicized area of interest at the institute has been research concerning metabolic syndrome, a combination of medical disorders responsible for increased risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Working with wild blueberry fruit compounds known as anthocyanins, Lila led a team of researchers that demonstrated that blueberry phytochemicals helped alleviate hyperglycemia in rodent models, a condition associated with and metabolic syndrome, and also diabetes. (You can read more about this research in Phytomedicine, 2009 May; 16(5): 406-15.)

This past summer, Lila and her team presented exciting new research as part of the Wild Blueberry Research Summit in Bar Harbor, Maine. The Summit is an annual meeting of leading researchers and scientists that gather to share their research findings and to explore opportunities for future collaboration. The presentation concerned ongoing in-vitro studies into the connection between blueberry components and Parkinson’s. Parkinson’s is an incurable disease involving neuron loss, and Lila said the research concerns protection against such neurodegeneration. “The best defense for Parkinson’s is prevention, and the research is showing how in particular the anthocyanin pigments are protective against neuronal death.”

Poised for growth and alive with the potential to drive wide-ranging changes in how we eat and think about food, the PHHI is the perfect place for a blueberry to be. With major projects underway involving farmer’s markets, greenhouses, state-of-the-art labs, genome mapping and dedicated scholars with a passion for plant food crops, the bottom line is that if you are keeping your eye on health, you’d be wise to keep the work of PHHI and Dr. Mary Ann Lila in view.

Read Part I: Tapping Our Global Resources

Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry – Step Aside!

As Baskin said to Robbins, there’s a new flavor in town! We couldn’t let this stunning endorsement (from food52’s blog Cooking From Every Angle) for one of our favorite healthy, colorful foods go by. If you haven’t indulged in this warm weather treat yet, there is still time.

Merrill extols the virtues of low-bush, or wild, blueberries, including their complex flavor concentrated in smaller packages. To think that they have practically unmatched nutritional power, too.

It’s true that no food is inherently evil, and that goes for dessert, too. If you like, you can follow Michael Pollan’s advice: make your treats from the season’s best produce, and set a rule to always make them yourself. It will mean you’ll go to the trouble less often, and you’ll likely be using mostly real, whole food. Here’s to late summer treats with a dollop of health and color!

You can find more recipes for nutritious delicious desserts that offer a daily dose of blue.

Enjoy more amazing eating from Cooking From Every Angle.

At Blueberry Harvest Time, Picking at Peak Means an Endless Summer

Ah, summer. If only we could extend the colorful, fresh bounty of the season all winter long. But wait a minute – it seems we can. There are millions of pounds of wild blueberries currently being captured and quick frozen at their very peak of flavor and nutrition. We can use them at our discretion any time of year.

August is harvest season, and that means efforts to provide us with an endless summer, at least when it comes to berries, are going on right now. Thank goodness! Enjoying flavorful blues from the freezer for breakfast, desserts, entrees, and salads is one of the best ways to integrate potent nutrients into your diet, get your required daily servings of fruits and veggies, and bask in a little taste of summer gone by.

If you’ve ever wondered what goes into harvesting this antioxidant and anti-aging hero, here’s a little bit of blueberry back-story just in time for harvest season.

Barrens in Bloom

Remember that wilds are different from cultivated berries: they are smaller, they showcase an array of color variations and flavor that ranges from sweet to tart, and their high skin-to-pulp ratio means they are super-concentrated with powerful antioxidants. Also called “low-bush blueberries,” wilds are exclusive to the regions of Maine and Eastern Canada where large stretches of barrens produce this indigenous fruit – over 60,000 acres of blueberry farmland stretch across Maine alone, providing an average 70 million pounds of berries each year. Canadian provinces including Nova Scotia, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland also boast robust wild blueberries crops. It’s here that they have naturally evolved to thrive in the challenging acidic soils and under the environmental stresses of changing temperature that the four diverse seasons provide. The result is the distinctive color, plant height, taste, and fruit size of the wild blueberry.

To take best advantage of the flourishing fruit, beginning at the end of August, farmers throughout Maine and Canada engage in a commercial harvesting process which originated back in 1874.

Talk of the Town

August is the culmination of a two-year growing cycle; growers rotate their crop by harvesting half of their acreage each year. For local growers, the process incorporates a unique dedication to agricultural practices that ensure healthy crops for generations to come. But the crop’s success is dependent on many factors both in and out of a blueberry farmer’s control. High yield depends on moisture, winter snow coverage, a lack of damaging frosts, and bee pollination. Farmers hope for high numbers of fruit per plant to indicate a productive season – blossoms average five or six per bud but can top 15 if conditions are good.

During harvest season, towns that are home to large wild blueberry farms are focused on the season’s take. The crop is clearly a source of pride: discussions in local shops in areas like Machias revolve around the health and abundance of the year’s crop, and dessert in local restaurants is always blueberry pie. Fair and festival preparations are in full swing, and the towns buzz with activity as populations swell with those involved and employed with the harvest.

Tradition & Technology

While stories of migrant workers traveling to Down East Maine to engage in dawn-till-dusk labor to clear the barrens of their fruit do still paint an accurate picture, today, capturing wild blueberries at the height of taste and nutrition requires a mixture of traditional and high-tech methods.

Hand raking is a tradition that has held since the onset of commercial harvesting, but roughly half of modern operations use mechanized harvesting. While some may mourn the lost art of raking by hand, mechanizing means growers can mow the grounds, a practice that is more environmentally sound than traditional burning. It also lessens their dependence on hard-to-find hand labor. Cleaning processes in factories also use state-of-the-art computer controlled equipment, ensuring only ripe tasty blueberries end up in the carton, tub, bag or pouch, at the other end of the process.

Picked at Peak

While fresh cartons of berries are a welcome sight in late summer, in fact, 99% of the wild blueberry crop is frozen, using the individually quick freezing method (IQF) which allows for the fast preservation of taste, nutrition, and antioxidant power. IQF blueberries can remain frozen for over two years without losing their flavor or nutritional value. While the fresh-pack industry is very small, it has garnered growing interest from farmers because of the added value that comes with eliminating processing. Some farmers even freight fresh berries out-of-state to places as far flung as Texas, so buyers can enjoy the taste of the indigenous wild fruit straight from the field.

It’s the dedication of growers and their efforts during the harvest season that has made this unique fruit with its taste, nutritional attributes, and overall mystique the health icon it is today. So take some time to celebrate this delicious gift that gives all year long!

Wild Blueberries: The Pick of the Season

This season, industry reports indicate a banner year for the lauded berry. While farmers are busy in the fields, you can get a taste of the harvest, too. Many farms offer u-pick opportunities – it’s a perfect summer family activity, and even better, one that culminates in a cake, cobbler or pie.

If you can’t get out to the field yourself, don’t worry. August is the month where wild blueberries practically come to you. You’re guaranteed to find quarts at gas stations, convenience stores, farm stands and on the roadside.

Pick your own in Maine or find farms in Canada where you can pick your own berries.

Bake a Lemon Glazed Wild Blueberry Cake or a Wild Blueberry Crisp with your booty from the field.

Find a local supplier of wild blueberries.

Learn more about the wild blueberry harvest and the importance of blueberry bees.

Fried Twinkies Optional – Fairs & Festivals Launch a Healthy Eating Heyday

This summer, we’ve discussed treading lightly around summer barbeques and cookouts and talked about ways to keep fruits and veggies in our line of sight when nutritionally gaunt foods flourish. But summer revelry is about celebrating food, not ignoring it.

Even though chocolate-covered bacon may be getting all the attention, attending an annual fair or festival can actually be one of the best things you can do to solidify your healthy eating commitments.

For all the glory, fun and nostalgia fairs provide, there is no denying that they can be nutritionally devastating. When we heard that the Orange Country fair featured Fried Butter – butter-injected dough that’s frozen, fried, and served with either whipped cream, parmesan cheese or marinara sauce – well, we could practically hear the crash cart being wheeled in. But fried dough and funnel cakes are fair and festival traditions, and if it’s not over the top, vendors are just not doing their job.

Before you cave in and order two fried Twinkies (420 calories per pop) consider the other edible wonders that summer fairs offer. Agricultural fairs, country fairs, and festivals that celebrate a regionally beloved fruit or veggie can offer a perfect opportunity to connect with real food. Perusing giant garlic heads, blue ribbon tomatoes, and twisty tubers can teach kids about where fruits and vegetables really come from. Beautiful garden specimens can provide the best lesson kids can have in understanding that food comes from the ground, not the can or the package. Fruit pies that ooze sweetness from their edges can be a reminder that baking from “scratch” hasn’t gone the way of the Victrola. And, witnessing a grower’s pride and joy in the form of a zucchini the size of a suitcase can be a lesson for grown-ups, too, and inspire us to make sure healthy, real food has a prominent place on the table long after the Ring Toss has been packed up for the season.

While corn dogs are a reliable fair indulgence (and not a bad choice, considering, at about 250 calories) it’s the wild, regional, unprocessed foods that towns around American take the most pride in. Crowning the Blueberry Princess just seems to have more resonance with the community than Queen of Cotton Candy. These examples of summer celebrations around the country are healthy cases in point:

Verrill Farm in Concord Massachusetts presents the Corn & Tomato Festival in August, with the chance to taste 30 farm varieties of tomatoes, as well as other farm fresh foods.

They say New Englanders lock their cars so someone won’t come along and fill them with zucchini. Your chances of being a victim of this heinous veggie crime is likely to skyrocket at the Zucchini Festival in Ludlow Vermont in August.

Virginia has its Cantaloupe Festival in July to showcase this luscious local fruit.
If seed spitting is your sport, the Mize Watermelon Festival in Missisippi will welcome you this July. The region is home to world famous Smith County watermelons – the ones you should be eating while the getting is good.
The Union Fair is dubbed a “Real Maine Agricultural Fair” and earns the characterization with oxen pulls, rooster crowing contests, and vegetable judging. It even includes its own Blueberry Festival where berry-busting desserts rival any funnel cake, hands down.

Early August is time to celebrate the raspberry harvest during Utah’s Raspberry Days. Permission to eat pie.
Not everyone is throwing ribs on the smoker in August. VeggieFest Chicago 2010, the largest free vegetarian food festival in the country, is on, with food demos and a food court that boggles the mind.
Late summer is the best time to get your veggies in cob-form. Nearly 50 tons of sweet corn will be consumed during the 63rd Annual Mendota Sweet Corn Festival this August in Illinois.
Sky high in natural antioxidants, the chokecherry has its day at Minnesota’s 3rd Annual Chokecherry Festival, including a pancake breakfast with chokecherry syrup. (Watch out for flying pits.)
Plus, Pier 21 will host Food for Health all summer through September at the Canada Agriculture Museum in Nova Scotia, which looks at concerns and questions many Canadians have about the role food plays in ensuring good health.

Finally, one of our favorites, the Machias Wild Blueberry Festival gives wild blueberries their day in the sun. They call the wild blueberry “the powerful little fruit that put our corner of Down East Maine on the map,” but the fact that it is a list topping food for disease prevention and antioxidant potency hardly seems to matter to those swarming downtown Machias. They are there to see the blueberry musical, participate in a pie eating contest, and take the blueberry farm tours.

Everything in town will be unapologetically blue, including the passenger railroad that rides sightseers throughout the festivities.

There are plenty of wild blueberry-themed festivals in Northern Maine and Canada that celebrate this indigenous fruit of honor that is harvested in late summer. If you live there or plan to visit, you can get a comprehensive list of 2010 Fairs & Festivals in the Maine area along with agricultural fairs that range from carny to classic and are always busting with fruits and veggies – real food with a little dirt on their natural packaging.

Seek out your own local fair that offers the best of good food. This summer, there is truly something for absolutely everyone.