- Early explorers had noticed wild blueberries during their expeditions. In 1615, Samuel de Champlain saw the Native Americans harvested wild blueberries along Lake Huron.
- These dried blueberries, grind them into powder and formed a paste that combined corn, honey and water to make a pudding called "Sautauthig.
- Lewis and Clark during an expedition, found Indians who smoked blueberries to preserve it for winter. A meal was served to them by Native Americans, contained wild blueberries that were pounded with meat before being smoked and dried. Native Americans prized especially wild blueberries because of the shape of its flowers which formed a five-pointed star. They thought that the "Great Spirit" had sent the fruit to flower star-shaped to calm the hunger of their children in times of famine.
- They also used blueberries for its medicinal properties and were making a highly aromatic tea from the roots. It was used as a relaxant during pregnancy.
- The first American medical books relate the use of this tea is recommended for women of the early settlers at the time of delivery. Blueberry juice was used against cough and tea made from the leaves was considered a good tonic to help purify the blood.
- Early settlers and Native Americans enjoyed the fruits as a basic ingredient of their food and even medicine. They incorporated in the cornflower their diet, eating fresh picked in the bush and added to soups, stews and other dishes that we wanted to enhance the flavor.
- Today, the blueberry is one of the most popular fruit in America. It is used in the manufacture of muffins, cakes, pies, jams, cookies and even wine and aperitifs. The efforts of Elizabeth White and Dr. Frederick Coville in the early 19th century to tame the wild blueberry giant have led to the creation of a cultivated blueberry industry.
- Their efforts resulted in the creation of a fruit plump, juicy, sweet and easy to pick which may have enjoyed today. North America produces 90% of world production of blueberries.
- The blueberry is one of the few blue foods. Its color is due to a very high rate of anthocyanin. The anthocyanin pigment ranging in color from red to blue depending on the pH of the environment, it is found in blueberries and also in grapes.
- The anthocyanin is soluble in water and it is through the chemistry of acids and bases that explains this passage of red fruit purplish blue fruit. Blueberries begins life as a small green berry. What happens to transform into a blue bay, plump and full of flavor? After fertilization the ovary, the flower grows rapidly for about a month and stops. A green berry grows without size change. The end of the calyx turns purple and the rest of the bay takes on a translucent appearance. During the following days, a light purple color begins to develop and gradually darkens. During the color change, the bay expands rapidly. intensity of pigmentation increases during the first six days. Therefore it is in the early stage of maturation that most of anthocyanins develops.