What a year. Now, even the blueberries are struggling. But, for once, it doesn’t really have to do with COVID-19.
What’s The Deal With Blueberries?
Did you know there are two kinds of blueberries? There are wild blueberries, which are found in north-eastern states, and Canada. Then, there are cultivated blueberries. They can grow pretty much anywhere. (1)
What’s The Deal With Wild Blueberries?
Wild blueberries are, well, wild.
But how can they be harvested? The short answer is ‘carefully.’ But, less flippantly, these berries are not planted, insomuch as farmers find where they are growing in the wild, and care for them there, harvesting them when they are ripe. This year, “It has been terrible,” according to Professor David Yarborough. He’s the man to ask. David has spent 28 years in the field. He’s also the University of Maine’s Professor Emeritus of Horticulture and Wild Blueberry Specialist. “Currently,” says the University of Maine’s website, he is “working for wild blueberry growers at the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine and the Wild Blueberry Association of North America to educate the public on the many attributes of the wild blueberry.” (1, 2)
What’s The Deal With Cultivated Blueberries?
These plants can be commercially planted, which leads to higher yields. They also don’t mind the heat. Not only that, but the cultivated blueberries are bigger as well. The fact they’re easier to harvest means they are planted all over the United States, as well as countries like Peru. (1)
Where’s The Comparison In Blueberries?
We’ve already seen some differences between wild and cultivated varieties–and it may seem there’s a clear winner. That impression might deepen when you hear that wild blueberries can cost up to 60% more in stores.
However, wild blueberry advocates say the rich and intense taste of wild blueberries is worth any price. “Wild blueberries are different in every way,” says Marie Emerson, of Columbia Falls, Maine. “We have to let the world know that.” She puts her money where her mouth is, joining the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine in order to bring attention to wild blueberries. (1)
Wild Blueberries This Summer
“We had a series of frosts at the beginning of June, and then significant drought for the whole of the summer,” says David Yarborough. “So we have much less fruit, and the berries are much smaller. It is a disaster.”
According to the BBC, “Maine’s 2020 crop of wild blueberries could be as low as 50-60 million lb (22,680-27,200 tonnes) in weight,” which is less than 10% of the United States’s cultivated blueberry production. (1)
Wild Blueberries Last Summer
Unfortunately, it’s not the first time that wild blueberry harvesters have suffered. Last summer, in the wake of President Trump’s trade war with China, exports of wild blueberries stopped. Previously, wild blueberries were being frozen and shipped to China, meaning wild blueberry harvesters no longer had to convince American markets that the taste was worth the price. If that wasn’t enough, wild blueberry harvesters did not qualify for the US Department of Agriculture’s bailout money. Farmers working with wild blueberries despaired. “We just keep losing everything,” says farmer Leon Perry. (3)
