History Of PEI
Wild Blueberries.

Prior to the last ice age, Prince Edward Island’s was connected to the province of New Brunswick by a large valley plain. When the ice began to melt, the sea level rose and flooded the valley; forming the Island. The Island was scoured by the retreating glaciers which removed the much of the soil. In this barren landscape only the hardiest of the plants grew.

One of the hardiest was the Wild Blueberry which has been present on the Island for 10,000 years. To survive in this wilderness the wild blueberry needed to develop protection. It evolved a higher concentration of a flavonoid named Anthocyanin. This is the phytochemical found in blue pigments of certain fruits. The harsher the conditions the more powerful the concentration of antioxidant which occurs in the blueberry. The winter and spring in an Island berry field means that Island berries may contain more Anthocyanin than berries grown in a warmer climate. When you eat the Island wild blueberry you are gaining all these extra antioxidant benefits.

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Can You Plant Wild Blueberries

It is nearly impossible to have success in planting wild blueberries. The roots are very susceptible to shock and the plant itself spreads underground by means of rhizomes.

Differences Between Wild And Cultivated Blueberries

Originally blueberries were just blueberries. There were similar berries such as the bilberry in Europe and the huckleberry in the states, but all blueberries were what we now call “wild blueberries

Blueberries Are A True Berry

From a botany point of view, a berry is a soft fleshy fruit formed from the ovary of one flower and has its seeds embedded inside the flesh. By this classification, a blueberry is a true berry.

Wild Blueberries And Frost.

Frost is a common problem with wild blueberries and is the primary cause of a poor harvest. Not all blueberry farms have the same climate. The fields in Quebec and Maine blossom before the fields on Prince Edward Island and are therefore more susceptible to frost. The later blossoming of Island berries usually occurs after the last frost of the spring.