Blueberries are colloquially referred to as blueberries in many regions and are a prized fruit for eating fresh or for preserving. The fruits of wild and cultivated blueberries are quite different, as is the growth form.

The difference between forest blueberries and cultivated blueberries

The forest blueberries native to this country can often be found in the undergrowth of sparse moor forests and in the valleys of mountain ranges that are not too high. These shrubs rarely grow more than knee-high and produce only a few fruits per plant per year. In contrast, the cultivars offered in specialist shops originally come from North America and belong to the genus "Vaccinium". Their bushes reach a maximum height of about 2.5 to 3 meters and produce a variety of fruits on the branches, which only gradually ripen fully. While the fruits of the forest blueberries have a strongly blue-colored juice, the inner flesh of the cultivated varieties is almost white.

The sweet harvest of midsummer walks

Forest blueberries used to be often referred to as the "caviar of the forest", since the fully ripe fruits sometimes shine through from the undergrowth almost black-blue and cannot be surpassed in taste by the cultivated varieties. However, the North American varieties are superior to the native plants in that they stretch their fruits towards the gardener at eye level. Larger quantities of fruit can also be harvested from each individual bush. If wild blueberries are harvested in July and August, care should also be taken to wash the fruits, as they could be infected with the relatively dangerous fox tapeworm pathogen in the forest. Fruits harvested near the ground in the garden should also be washed or boiled down before consumption to be on the safe side.

Tips for making picking as easy as possible

Blueberries tend to burst when fully ripe. Therefore, the coloring forest blueberries in particular should only be handled very gently. For harvesting in the forest you will need:

  • shallow bowls or baskets
  • Water to clean fingers or fruit to eat on the spot
  • a pad for kneeling on the floor

Gathering forest blueberries is a comparatively tedious activity that is often easier to master with a knee pad. Each type of blueberry should be processed as gently as possible with a view to the shelf life and the very short shelf life of the fruit. For a faster harvest of wild and cultivated blueberries, a so-called blueberry comb can be used, with which the fruits can be stripped off the branches relatively quickly.

tips and tricks

If you also want to use a blueberry comb for picking cultivated blueberries, you should proceed cautiously at first. The blueberry varieties usually bear fully ripe and unripe fruits next to each other on one branch. If unripe fruits are accidentally torn off with the harvesting device, they will not ripen.

Category:

Vegetable garden