Chapters 4.42
4.42. Bog blueberries
Damian Martin , University of Guelph, Canada
Suggested citation for this chapter.
Martin,D. (2022) Fleshy Fruits. In The Student Encyclopedia of Canadian Indigenous Foods. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.firstnationsfoods.org/
Introduction
Bog Blueberry or Alpine Bilberry is a small deciduous shrub that is distributed throughout Europe as well as in northern Asia and North America. These sweet tasting berries have many health benefits associated with them and have been used by many different people groups over the years. This paper is intended to inform Canadians about Bog Blueberry, where it comes from, and what it has to offer Canadians today.
Information About This Plant
The term “Bog Blueberries” refers to several different subspecies that can be found in Canada. This species of berry belongs to the Ericaceae family which contains many other vaccinium berries such as cranberries (Kim et al, 2009). These subspecies are found in the Vaccinium Uliginosum species of blueberries and are based on the leaf’s hairiness, the plants habit, the fruit shape and taste, as well as several other characteristics (Kuhlein and Turner, 1991). The Bog Blueberry is a low-growing deciduous shrub that usually does not grow to be more than 50 cm high. The leaves of this plant are usually small, bluish green in colour, smooth-edged, and broadest at the upper end (Kuhlein and Turner, 1991). The flowers are pink with 4 lobes but sometimes have 5. They are about 5-6 mm long and grow individually or in clumps of 2-4 (Fretwell and Starzomski, 2014). The fruit of Bog Blueberry is a bluish-black berry that is 5-10 mm in diameter with a waxy coating (see Figure 1. for a photograph) The berries are also sweet and edible (Vorobets et al, 2021).
Historical Background
Blueberries are native to North America and, for nearly 13,000 years, have been part of life in the region. The first successful blueberry bush was cultivated for commercial production in the early 1900s and now, in North America, almost 1 billion pounds of blueberries are produced each year (History of blueberries, 2021).
It was the Native Americans that first discovered the adaptability and the health benefits associated with blueberries. They used them for medicinal purposes as well as a source of natural flavoring (History of blueberries, 2021). The Vaccinium Uliginosum species of berry has been around and used by the Indigenous groups for a very long time. In inland Alaska, these berries are said to be the most essential of berries to the Inuit peoples (Kuhlein and Turner, 1991). Usually ripening from mid-July to August, these berries are eaten both fresh and preserved in several different ways depending on their location. They are even available when they are frozen (Kuhlein and Turner, 1991). More about the different methods of preservation can be found under Associated Indigenous Peoples.
The Bog Blueberry has also been a source of food for many explorers such as Samuel Heame and Alexander Mackenzie. Heame wrote about them in his journal and described them as follows: “When carefully gathered in the fall, in dry weather, and as carefully packed in casks with moist sugar, they will keep for years, and are annually sent to England in considerable quantities as presents, where they are much esteemed. When the ships have remained in the [Hudson's] Bay so late that the cranberries are ripe, some of the Captains have carried them home in water with great success” (Kuhlein and Turner, 1991). The quote by Heame shows just how useful these berries were to them.
Geographic Origins
As the name suggests, Bog Blueberries grow best in wet habitats. The species name Uliginosum means wet or swampy (The Blueberry Bounty of Burns Bog, 2019). It is native to cool regions of the Northern Hemisphere and also at high altitudes south to the Pyrenees (Blueberry, Vaccinium uliginosum). In northern Canada, Alaska, and the Aleutian Islands to Labrador, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, south along the Pacific coast from British Columbia to northern California, as well as in the east to northern Michigan, New York and Vermont, these berries can be found in peat bogs, rocky barrens and tundra (Kuhlein and Turner, 1991).
Associated Indigenous Peoples
Bog Blueberries have been used by several different Indigenous groups in the past and continue to be used today. Each of the different groups use and preserve them in different ways depending on their location. The Fisherman Lake Slave used to gather these berries when fresh and store them underground in birch-bark baskets. They would then cover them with leaves and moss. Sometimes they would even boil them with grease and spread them out in baskets to be sun-dried (Kuhlein and Turner, 1991). In order to use sun-dried berries, the berries would be broken up and boiled. In northern Saskatchewan, the Chipewyan people would eat the berries fresh, cook them with sugar or other types of berries, mix them in Bannock, or store them through the winter by canning, cooking in lard, or drying them over a low fire (Kuhlein and Turner, 1991).
As stated earlier, these berries were said to be the most important berry to the Inuit people. They would knock off the ripe berries into large baskets and eat them fresh, frozen, or sometimes the berries would be left on the shrub to dry (Kuhlein and Turner, 1991). Other Indigenous groups that used these barriers include the Tanaina of Alaska, the Slave, Tahltan, Kaska, and some other northern Athapsakan groups of the Northwest Territories and British Columbia (Kuhlein and Turner, 1991). Some of the groups along the British Columbia coast include the Straits, Halkomelem, Sechelt, Squamish, Nuu-chah-nulth, Kwakwala’wakw, Haida, and Coast Tsimshian (Kuhlein and Turner, 1991).
Food Uses
Due to the high anthocyanin content the berries of Vaccinium Uliginosum are becoming more popular. Anthocyanins are the flavonoids in plants which produces the blue, red, or purple colours. This is what makes them such a good natural food colourant. (Li et al, 2010) These berries are a particularly important source of food for the people in northern Canada and Alaska. The berries can either be eaten fresh or frozen late into the fall. They can also be preserved in various ways. Of all berries these are said to be the most valuable to the Eskimo or Inuit people. They would mix them with cloudberries and make them into “Eskimo ice-cream” (Kuhlein and Turner, 1991).
Health Benefits
The health benefits that are associated with Bog Blueberry is what brings the berry its value. Bog Blueberry is one of the richest natural sources of anthocyanins (Van der Linden, 2018). Some of the major health benefits associated with the Vaccinium species are that they lower insulin resistance, improve memory, preserve healthy vision, lower risk of inflammation disease, lower blood pressure, help with digestive and intestinal issues, improve heart and circulation, help to clear minds, protect skin from sun damage, and balances the central nervous system when under stress (Van der Linden, 2018).
Vaccinium uliginosum has been used as a vision support for many years. Lately more studies have been done to prove that the extract from this species of berry can protect against blue light damage and eye strain which comes from modern day technology (Van der Linden, 2018). Recently there has been a preliminary study that suggests that Vaccinium uses may include supporting recovery from spinal cord injury (Van der Linden, 2018).
Limitations
Despite the vast amount of health benefits associated with the Vaccinium species, it does not come without a few limitations. This is a berry that requires a moist soil that is free of limestone, rich in peat, and has decaying leaf substrates. This plant must also be sheltered from strong winds. (Bassanti, 2022) Some Indigenous people in Alaska suggested that a heavy snow cover is crucial for a good berry crop. They also said that warmer and dryer winters have a negative impact on the berries resulting in a fewer amount of berries being produced. Warmer and dryer winters also results in berries that do not taste as good (Boulanger-Lapointe et al. 2020). This berry may taste very good but should not be consumed in large quantities. If a lot of these berries are eaten at once, headaches may result (Vaccinium uliginosum – L).
References
1.Blueberry, Vaccinium uliginosum. California Native Plant Society. Retrieved from https://calscape.org/Vaccinium-uliginosum-()
2.Boulanger-Lapointe et al. (2020). Climate and environmental drivers of berry productivity from the forest–tundra ecotone to the high Arctic in Canada. Canadian Science Publishing. Retrieved from https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2019-0018
3.Environment and Climate Change Canada. (2013). Peatlands. Hinterland Who's Who. Retrieved form https://www.hww.ca/en/wild-spaces/peatlands.html
4.Fretwell, K. and Starzomski, B. (2014). Bog blueberry • vaccinium uliginosum. Biodiversity of the Central Coast.
5.History of blueberries. Blueberry.org. (2021). Retrieved from https://blueberry.org/about-blueberries/history-of-blueberries/
6.Kim, Y. Bang, C. Won, E. Kim, J. Choung, S. (2009). Antioxidant activities of Vaccinium uliginosum L. extract and its active components. Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
7.Kuhlein, H. V., and Turner, N. J. (1991). Traditional Plant of Canadian Indigenous Peoples, The Netherlands: Gordon and Breach Publishers, 121
8.Li, Rui, Wang, Ping, Guo, Qing-qi, Wang, Zhen-yu. (2010). Anthocyanin composition and content of the Vaccinium uliginosum berry. Science Direct. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814610010496?casa_token=KnZQAGkjjn0AAAAA:QqvG0veo2x82X1PMiMSXsKjboI5NcsQfSuk5L0QLJbfkLiAXjrzfR_79nQ9-u4_KJT6KV46NsQ
9.Matson, SM. (2003). Blueberry, Vaccinium uliginosum [photograph]. Retrieved from https://calscape.org/Vaccinium-uliginosum-()
10.The Blueberry Bounty of Burns Bog. (2019). Retrieved from http://arcadianabe.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-blueberry-bounty-of-burns-bog.html
11.Vaccinium uliginosum - L. Pfaf Plant Search. Retrieved from https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Vaccinium%2Buliginosum
12.Van der Linden, MV. (2018). Vaccinium Health Benefits. Linden Botanicals. Retrieved from https://lindenbotanicals.com/vaccinium-health-benefits/#:~:text=Vaccinium%20promotes%20a%20healthy%20heart,uliginosum%20as%20a%20health%20supplement
13.Vorobets, N., Yavorska, N., Fafula, R., & Zazuliak, T. (2021). Content of Mobile Elements in the Soil and their Accumulation in the Shoots and Fruits of Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) and Bogbillberry (V. uliginosum).