Blueberries!

1. Blueberries!

2. Blueberries in Washington State Blueberries were introduced as a crop in Washington 50 years ago. They have long been important in North America. They grow wild in what is now the northeastern United States; Native Americans used them for food, pigment, and for medicinal purposes. Now blueberries are Washington State’s second most valuable crop per harvested acre, after cherries. Photo credit: Kelly Makaravage, Foothills Gazette. Harry Williams shows some of the blueberries he grows on his 30-acre farm in Deming. Williams Blueberry Farm grows 10 major varieties of blueberries, and other kinds of berries as well.

3. Blueberries inspire juicy words! Once of our most famous American poets, Robert Frost, wrote a poem called “Blueberries.” Here are some of his lines: “the blue’s but a mist from the breath of the wind, A tarnish that goes at a touch of the hand…” and “You ought to have seen how it looked in the rain, The fruit mixed with water in layers of leaves, Like two kinds of jewels, a vision for thieves.” Check out the rest of his poem. It is a story about a family of farmers. Robert Frost often wrote about farms and fields and was very observant about the world around him. How would you describe blueberries?

4. Enjoy fresh-frozen blueberries for school lunch on Harvest of the Month day! Delicious picked fresh off the bush, frozen, preserved in jam, or baked into something yummy… give them a try!