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I don't know, they aren't even sold in Europe in markets AFAIK (we only get "American blueberries" here). They can't be domesticated, people gather them in fore

by ajuc 3y ago

I don't know, they aren't even sold in Europe in markets AFAIK (we only get "American blueberries" here). They can't be domesticated, people gather them in forests.

Kampfschnitzel 3y ago
A
Kampfschnitzel 3y ago
When the berries are in season you can sometimes buy them at regular supermarkets or for sure at farmers markets. They are quite intensively harvested in countries like Finland, Sweden, Poland and Belarus. The frozen berries are then exported. For instance where I live (Austria) I can buy frozen Bilberries at a much cheaper price than regular Blueberries.
- saiya-jin 3y ago
  Yes frozen can be found (in french speaking regions - myrtilles sauvages) and they are the right kind, meaning same as forest kind. But the ones I can get are quite sour. If you think this is the worst offender, compare real tiny forest strawberries with that bland stuff from grocery stores. 5% of the volume, 300% of the taste. Even good ripe homegrown ones pale in comparison. Had a hike last weekend and hit the right spot of altitude and their ripeness, got stuck for an hour just nibbling on them along forest roads.
  - neaden 3y ago
    Interesting, I have wild strawberries growing on my property and they are pretty tasteless in my experience, but I'm at a low altitude.
Broken_Hippo 3y ago
I'm in Europe (Norway), and I can get the small blueberries in the stores... at the right time of year. I haven't seen them yet this year, but I will soon. Folks go into the forests and harvest them, selling them to the stores. Similar story with cloudberries. They go for a fairly nice price. (They sell local produce in the major grocery stores here) The rest of the year, though, large blueberries are all that are on offer if you are buying fresh. IIRC, I can buy both smaller and larger blueberries if I buy frozen.
checkyoursudo 3y ago
I have gotten blåbär (bilberries: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccinium_myrtillus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccinium_myrtillus) at markets in Sweden. You can get frozen, picked-from-the-forest blåbär at e.g. Coop or Ica. There are also products in Sweden that list Vaccinium myrtillus rather than American blueberries as the ingredient, though they are not as noticeably better than blueberries when all sugared up and as just one of many ingredients. There was an airline that serves or at least used to serve blåbär juice in-flight in or to/from Sweden. I don't remember if it was like SAS or BRA, but one of them did. Kind of an expensive way to get a taste. Usually I just go to the forest myself. The wikipedia article says that they grow in quite a number of places around the world. In northern Sweden, they are everywhere, and you have the absolute right to harvest them for personal use, AFAIK.
- sings 3y ago
  Finnair serves blueberry/blåbär juice on its flights.
  - checkyoursudo 3y ago
    That's what it is. Thanks.

by ajuc 3y ago

I don't know, they aren't even sold in Europe in markets AFAIK (we only get "American blueberries" here). They can't be domesticated, people gather them in forests.

Kampfschnitzel 3y ago

When the berries are in season you can sometimes buy them at regular supermarkets or for sure at farmers markets. They are quite intensively harvested in countries like Finland, Sweden, Poland and Belarus. The frozen berries are then exported. For instance where I live (Austria) I can buy frozen Bilberries at a much cheaper price than regular Blueberries.

saiya-jin 3y ago
Yes frozen can be found (in french speaking regions - myrtilles sauvages) and they are the right kind, meaning same as forest kind. But the ones I can get are quite sour. If you think this is the worst offender, compare real tiny forest strawberries with that bland stuff from grocery stores. 5% of the volume, 300% of the taste. Even good ripe homegrown ones pale in comparison. Had a hike last weekend and hit the right spot of altitude and their ripeness, got stuck for an hour just nibbling on them along forest roads.
- neaden 3y ago
  Interesting, I have wild strawberries growing on my property and they are pretty tasteless in my experience, but I'm at a low altitude.

Broken_Hippo 3y ago

I'm in Europe (Norway), and I can get the small blueberries in the stores... at the right time of year. I haven't seen them yet this year, but I will soon. Folks go into the forests and harvest them, selling them to the stores. Similar story with cloudberries. They go for a fairly nice price. (They sell local produce in the major grocery stores here) The rest of the year, though, large blueberries are all that are on offer if you are buying fresh. IIRC, I can buy both smaller and larger blueberries if I buy frozen.

checkyoursudo 3y ago

I have gotten blåbär (bilberries: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccinium_myrtillus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccinium_myrtillus) at markets in Sweden. You can get frozen, picked-from-the-forest blåbär at e.g. Coop or Ica. There are also products in Sweden that list Vaccinium myrtillus rather than American blueberries as the ingredient, though they are not as noticeably better than blueberries when all sugared up and as just one of many ingredients. There was an airline that serves or at least used to serve blåbär juice in-flight in or to/from Sweden. I don't remember if it was like SAS or BRA, but one of them did. Kind of an expensive way to get a taste. Usually I just go to the forest myself. The wikipedia article says that they grow in quite a number of places around the world. In northern Sweden, they are everywhere, and you have the absolute right to harvest them for personal use, AFAIK.

sings 3y ago
Finnair serves blueberry/blåbär juice on its flights.
- checkyoursudo 3y ago
  That's what it is. Thanks.