Electric Blues

Of all the produce that grows wild in Maine, perhaps nothing is more widely coveted than the wild blueberry. Nearly the entire wild blueberry crop in North America comes from Maine, where the fruit appreciates the acidic soil and generous rainfall. Aficionados appreciate the flavor, too–more intense and vibrant than that of the bigger and pulpy, cultivated blues.

Wild blueberries also do not burst as readily as their domesticated cousins and hold their color better, which makes them much more versatile and attractive when cooked. You might call them the chickens of the berry world–mouth-watering in creations that are savory or sweet, hot or cold, spicy or mild. First canned in Cherryfield, Maine, during the Civil War for the Union Army, blueberries–once limited to pies, cakes, muffins, breads, pancakes, jams, yogurt, ice cream, and sauces–have jumped the fence to star as the surprise ingredient in vinegars, wines, gin, chutneys, salsas, rangoons, and truffles.

“In the state of Maine, you want to sell anything, put wild blueberries in it,” says Tim Jordan, who runs Out On a Limb, based at his home in Lamoine. His firm’s products sizzle with blueberry spread, blueberry salsa, and a jam-like mixture of blueberries, strawberries, and apples called Taste of Maine.

Many purveyors wild blueberry items are as tart as the food itself.

Jordan, for instance, worked for many years as a freezing manager for a blueberry factory near Ellsworth. “I’ve done everything to a blueberry that you can possibly do,” he quips. “I’ve raked ‘em, sprayed ‘em, made juice from ‘em, made spreads, froze ‘em, canned ‘em, you name it.” He especially likes working with blueberries because they’re loaded with antioxidants, which help to prevent cancer.

“Most things good for you, people can’t stand,” he adds. “The great thing about wild blueberries is they’re healthy and also taste really wonderful.”

In Hartford, Elizabeth Gravalos directs Betsy’s of Maine, a range of wild and organic blueberry products including two kinds of blueberry butter, blueberry maple syrup, blueberry compote, and an innovative blueberry toddy. “The toddy is a blend of partially concentrated blueberry juice and maple syrup, which you can sip–hot–or drink cold mixed with fizzy water,” she says. One of her customers uses it to make blueberry egg custard. A niece recently added it to a champagne punch. “It turns things a pretty pink if you don’t use too much,” Gravalos says.

Her hand-drawn labels were designed by Shana Hanson, another blueberry farmer and one “so dedicated to sustainable living she uses bicycles to power the winnowers” as they separate the leaves and stems from the berries, Gravalos says. In a creative swap, she weeded Hanson’s gardens in exchange for her distinctive art work.

At Raye’s Mustard in Eastport, Kevin and Karen Raye produce blueberry mustard in what they claim is the only remaining stone-ground mustard mill in the nation. The earthy, zippy taste of their award-winning mustard accentuates the flavor of the blueberries, making the resulting condiment, called Summer Harvest, a surprise hit. Kevin Raye is a state senator serving his second term, and his wife is the former head of Wish List, an organization dedicated to electing moderate Republican women to the House and Senate. Now they’re using their political savvy to promote their mustard. “Mustard is our candidate,” Kevin Raye says.

Jean Meike, in Auburn, heads a group called Wild Maine Women, creators of “betterthanjam”–a wild blueberry spread with half the sweetener and twice the fruit of regular preserves. “[I’ve observed] my love of the blank canvas throughout my life,” she writes on her website. “That canvas has been a new cassette, a clean notepad, a fresh roll of film, and now an empty jam jar.” Previously a writer, photographer, and musician, Meike moved from jamming with her guitar to wild blueberry jamming, she explains. Under the label Gypsy Wind, she also produces blueberry ginger marmalade and spicy wild blueberry “pepperjam,” among others.

For those who prefer to make their wild blueberry concoctions from scratch, you can find fresh wild blues on sale at farm stands and farmers’ markets throughout the state in season, which begins in July and lasts four to six weeks. They’re also available frozen in most grocery stores at any time of year. (According to the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine, 99 percent of all wild blues are frozen.) Many websites provide intriguing recipes, including the commission’s site, www.wildblueberries.com, the 1st Traveler’s Choice Internet Cookbook at www.virtualcities.com, and a site for gourmets, www.epicurious.com.

Still can’t get enough? We love the Blueberry Lemon Drop Martini at Wells Beach Steakhouse, the Blueberry Pancake Martini at Una Wine Bar & Lounge, the Blue Suede Shoe at The Armory Lounge, and Atlantic Brewing’s incomparable Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale.