An All-American fruit, the blueberry is a cool temperature, moisture-loving plant which shares kinship with another mostly American plant, the cranberry. Native to northern North America, the blueberry has also successfully been grown in several European countries with favorable climates.

Little is known of the blueberry's early history-it was picked and eaten on the spot by the natives, and also dried, as were other fruits, for later consumption. Blueberries were flavorings for stews and soups. Lake Huron Indians were reported to make a pudding of cornmeal and ground blueberries called sautauthig. Never a staple, blueberries were nonetheless another example of the abundance of American native plants.

Certain American Indians were said to admire the blueberry because the blossom end of the fruit forms a five pointed star. Star berries were thought to be a gift directly from the Great Spirit to hungry children.

The blueberry is unusual in that much of its produce is from wild plants, usually the species v. angustifolium, known as the lowbush blueberry. In Nova Scotia, Canada, wild blueberries are the most important fruit crop economically. The province produces 30 million pounds of wild berries each year. The state of Maine, too, is a wild blueberry area.

High bush blueberries, the most frequently grown commercial plants, can produce for 40 to 50 years. They rely on generous amounts of water and well-drained soil. Started as cuttings in greenhouses, the young slips are planted in rows. Covered with mulch to maintain moisture levels, the plants can produce all summer.

New Jersey raises the most cultivated fresh blueberries in the United States. Michigan grows more berries but 2/3 of its crop goes for processing. Maine produces only wild blueberries, much of the crop processed by freezing. The U.S. produces over 110 tons of blueberries, Canada close to 40. Poland, Lithuania and the Netherlands are also significant blueberry growing countries.