In search of the perfect blueberry

When I close my eyes every night I see blue dots in the darkness. The blue dots are bright and round, and they seem so real, like in a 3D experience, as though they are jumping out at me. As I fall asleep, the blue dots disappear, and my dreams take me away. By daylight, as I look out the big picture window, I see the mountains far away, with the calm lake nearer, and even closer, the blueberry patch. The source of the blue dots.

This summer, I admit, I’m a little obsessed with blueberries. That’s not really new, as I have devoted significant time to the beautiful blueberry in recent years, but I think I’ve taken it even further in 2025. I have more free time this summer than I have in the past, but the main reason is that it’s quite a bumper crop.

I am surrounded by patches of different size and shape of wild blueberries. There’s no organized rows of fruit or scheduled sprays to keep the crop free of bugs and critters. There’s no professional intervention or advice that’s been sought to optimize the quality of each blueberry.

The blueberry just grows. Everywhere. There’s the bunches that seem to really love the two old tree stumps, the angled corridor down to the lake, or the shrubs near the wood pile. The plant grows like a weed here, and the more blueberries we pick, the faster and thicker they seem to return. Everyone is an expert, theorizing on what actions we can take to encourage growth in a future year.

Do we pull the ferns out by the root in the area near the lake? Should we pick every last blueberry so the plant “remembers” that it grew the luscious fruit? Do we get a larger blueberry in the shade or direct sun? Maybe it’s partial sun? When is the best time to pick the blueberry? Is there an optimal tinge of bluish purple, or size?

I’ve been taking mental notes throughout the month of July, as I seek the perfect blueberry, or maybe try to write a Wikipedia post, chalk full of my “expertise” on blueberries (!). I will settle on a post here, at Kinetic Motions, where I share some of the knowledge, most of it totally useless, on what I have gleaned, about the local, wonderful, wild blueberry.

Where does the blueberry grow best?

I walked around earlier today, to see where have the blueberries been growing most bountifully. What I see is that there seems to be great proliferation around dead, old tree stumps. Without the tree grabbing all the nutrients and the area offering up a mix of sun and shade, what began as a small patch of blueberries has developed into a thick growth of small, yet perfect fruit.

What was simply an area of flat grass back in May, became a high-yield crop of blueberries by July. Each season, the areas around the old tree stumps expand with more blueberries (unless someone mows over them with the electric lawnmower….)

What determines the size of a ripe blueberry?

This one is interesting, as a wild blueberry doesn’t follow any rules. It’s not engineered, and even a larger one is quite small. I have often wondered if a blueberry will continue to grow as it stays attached to the stem of its plant, or does it reach an optimum maturity, where its final size is determined by different factors.

For the most part, the blueberries that grow near the stump, while plentiful, are rather small. Even at their most mature blue colour, they never get to be too big (but not tiny). I also noticed that the various random patches across the lawn and other corners of the property that are mainly in the shade (from a tree or giant ferns) are even tinier (with some odd exceptions).

Just yesterday, as I wandered down to an area near the lake, I found clusters of rather large blueberries. They weren’t the size of a farmed berry, but I was most impressed by their size. This area was quite exposed to the sun (which means rain as well), had few ferns blocking them and because of their location, had barely been touched all summer. Until I arrived, of course, and picked them all. It was an exciting moment!

Is there an optimal colour?

An oft debated topic – is a blueberry blue? What shade of blue? Is it really just a deep shade of purple? Or if it’s really dark, does that mean it’s too ripe? And if it’s closer to a medium purple, is that too early to pick? From my research, the best time to pluck the blueberry from its bush is a short window from when it transitions from a medium purple to a gleaming medium blue. If the berry is pale purple, leave it alone. If it’s almost a navy blue, it’s past its prime. It’s still pick-able, and it will taste sweet, but it may be soft and even mushy.

How do I take only the ripe berries from the bush?

Anyone who has ventured into a patch to pick wild blueberries has faced this dilemma: there’s a fantastic cluster of say, 5 blueberries. There’s two that are ready to be eaten, one that is a pale shade of purple, and a couple of green ones. You want to let the green and purple develop and grow and you desperately want to grab the ripe ones. But how? Is there a delicate way to gently remove the ripe blue ones?

Yes. Carefully. One at a time. Slowly give it a try. Leave the others there. I feel such guilt every time I accidentally pull a green one and see it tumble to the ground. It’s too immature to be food for anyone, even a bug or a worm. Keep trying, be kind to the growing blueberry.

Does it matter how many I pick? Will it make a difference next year?

This one we debate every day. Are there so many blueberries this year because many of us spent hours last year picking? If we ignore the various blueberry patches this summer, will some wild zones disappear next year, or in future years? What role do we play in ensuring a continued bumper crop?

I am stumped on this one. I want to say that my obsessive (and not mine alone) hard work in 2025, to pick the blueberry patches clean, will help ensure just as good – or even a better – crop in 2026. But really, I’m clueless. I can’t explain why there are some years when I have to search hard to find a lone blueberry and others, like this one, where every morning a new mature group is there to greet me.

Does it need a hot summer? Cool spring? A lot of rain? Limited rain? My dog stomping around, as she chases her critters? Good vibes and prayers? Okay, maybe I could actually consult an expert who could guide me on how to grow the perfect blueberry. But, really that wouldn’t be much fun. I love to ponder, and as I ponder, I jump back in and pick more blueberries.

With all the people who have participated this summer, I think we have picked a record number of blueberries. I sometimes feel like I should hitch up a roadside stand to sell some. We have baked crisps, pies and muffins, and I have a huge container just feet from where I’m writing that will soon find its home in the freezer.

Once the final blueberry is picked for the season, I will close my eyes, as I see those blue dots light up, and dream of next year’s crop.