Welcome to This Blueberry Life

A friend recently asked why "This Blueberry Life." Is there a special meaning to the word blueberry?

The short answer is - Yes!

To me, blueberries and blueberry picking are simple metaphors for life. Sometimes blueberries are sweet and juicy, perfect for a sunny picnic, and sometimes the timing is not right. They are too sour for comfort or maybe there's even a worm. Although you can grow cultivated varieties in your garden, they thrive in Alaska wild lands. You only need to do a bit of walking and exploring to get what you are looking for. It's all about timing and effort and sometimes having a good friend to show you the way.

Highbush blueberries are most often found in the temperate rainforests of Alaska..

If you live in Alaska, blueberries are extra special. They are one of the most common berries that we pick. There are highbush blueberries and lowbush or tundra blueberries. In the picture above, I'm working my way through a large patch of highbush blueberries. Like most Alaskans, I have my favorite places to pick each of the varieties. Many people pick gallons of them in July and August to use throughout the winter and the following spring.

For me, the annual trips to the forest and tundra are filled with memories of friends and family crawling or walking slowly along picking juicy berry after juicy berry into our individual buckets. We eat berries as we go. Our hands are dyed blue. Sometimes we take an overnight trip so we can stay out longer. We talk about how this year compares to years past. We share recipes and talk about what we will do with our bounty.

Picking blueberries is a tradition for our family and that is what this blog is about.

Picking Blueberries as a Tradition

Picking and eating blueberries has been a tradition in both Alaska and Europe since ancient times. My ancestors in central Europe and the British Isles would have enjoyed picking bilberries also known as whortleberries which is a close cousin to the blueberries of Alaska. They look so similar that I'm not sure most people would notice the difference. Both are high in vitamin C and are dark, sweet, and juicy. In the times before sugar was widely available, these berries would have been a treat each summer. Bilberries are known to be less juicy than blueberries when raw, but they become juicy while cooking. According to BBC Food it was traditional to pair them with apples, so the apples could absorb their sweet liquid. Although it's not said directly, I'm sure they were also gathered and dried in quantity and eaten throughout the winter and the following spring.

Today, I freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, and once frozen, I transfer them into bags for use in muffins, pies, pancakes, jams, and syrups later in the year. This keeps them from forming a single frozen clump making them easier to use in recipes.

Luscious Blueberries

For me, blueberries and the picking of them are ways to celebrate the connection between my European heritage and my Alaska home. It is one way that I, and the people who have always lived here, can share something luscious yet common.

Is there something you love that can be a metaphor for how you see life?