The fields and valleys of Maine turn into a sea of blue during the month of August. The final product of 11 months of pruning and cultivation is ready for harvest from the low-bush wild blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium). Local children and teens participate in their first work experience in the fields, and many older residents recall raking blueberries for decades. There are even some seasonal workers who come from across the United States and Canada to Maine each August just to join the labor of a profitable but physically-intensive harvest and to spend a few days outdoors enjoying the beauty of the landscape.
The low-bush blueberry bears its crop closer to the ground than the high-bush variety. Blueberry farmers cultivate these bushes on a two-year crop cycle, alternating fields from year to year. This ensures that the bushes have an opportunity to rejuvenate before bearing a crop for harvest. Most of the berries harvested are transported directly to processors where the berries are flash-frozen for use in baked goods all year long.
The most important tool for harvesting blueberries is the rake. This implement, which resembles a large dustpan with long metal tines at one end, is used extensively in the fields. A blueberry picker pushes the rake through the branches of the bushes until the pan portion of the rake fills with blueberries. The worker then deposits the berries in collection bins. Each person working to bring in the harvest has his or her own unique style of harvesting, and some even prefer to use custom-designed rakes. The Hubbard Rake Company produces standard blueberry rakes that contain 65 tines but has produced some rakes with more than 80 tines.
After a long day in the sea of blue, blueberry harvesters leave with tired bodies and blue-stained fingertips. But thanks to their efforts (and the efforts of generations of blueberry harvesters), the harvest has evolved into a community tradition, bringing together old and young, locals and non-natives together for a few short weeks each year to collect the wild Maine blueberries.
Fresh-picked blueberries are delicious in a variety of baked goods, such as blueberry scones or blueberry stuffed French toast. If you don't have the opportunity to use them immediately, they can be successfully frozen for future months. To do this, place the berries on a small sheet pan and transfer them to the freezer until the berries are frozen. Once frozen, transfer them to freezer bags.
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