The Goddess Touch: blueberries

The blueberry is one of the few fruits native to North America. For centuries, blueberries were gathered from the forests and the bogs of Native Americans and consumed fresh and also preserved. The Northeast Native American tribes revered blueberries and much folklore developed around them. The blossom end of each berry, the calyx, forms the shape of a perfect five-pointed star; the elders of the tribe would tell of how the Great Spirit sent star berries to relieve the children's hunger during a famine. Parts of the blueberry plant were used as medicine. A tea made from the leaves of the plant was thought to be good for the blood. Blueberry juice was used to treat coughs. The juice also made an excellent dye for baskets and cloth. In food preparation, dried blueberries were added to stews, soups and meats.

North America produces 90% of the world's blueberries. They grow from mid-April though October with the peak harvest in July, also known as National Blueberry Month. Blueberries belong to the Ericaceae family, which includes cranberry, azalea, rhodondendron and heather. They trive on acid soils, flower in the spring and are pollinated by bees. Fruit occurs 2-3 months after blooms.

Everyone loves blueberries. The health and nutrient benefits include vitamin C, fiber, manganese and antioxidants. There are only 80 calories per cup of blueberries. I always wanted to grow a blueberry bush and decided it's time. I prepared a new section in my garden yesterday and have the perfect spot for my new addition. My hydrangeas need acidic soil so I will keep the blue babies near each other. I think a couple of morning glories would cover the unsightly electrical boxes without hampering the underground lines.

Steve and I went to see a matinee of the Born to be Wild movie about our favorite animals ~ elephants and orangutans. What a spectacular show, and the 3D effects make you feel as if you could touch the creatures. This was definitely a moment that took my breath away.

Know you what is to be a child? It is to be something very different from the man of today. It is to have a spirit yet streaming from the waters of baptism; it is to believe in love, to believe in loveliness, to believe in belief; it is to be so little that the elves can reach to whisper in your ear; it is to turn pumpkins into coaches, and mice into horses, lowness into loftiness, and nothing into everything, for each child has its fairy godmother in its soul. Francis Thompson Shelley

We are always too busy for our children; we never give them the time or the interest they deserve. We lavish gifts upon them; but the most precious gift ~ our personal association, which means so much to them ~ we give grudgingly. Mark Twain