Over here in northern Europe (Sweden), what we would call a blueberry is what you would call a bilberry [1], and what you would call a blueberry is referred to as an American blueberry (or maybe a cultivated blueberry).

They're all awesome of course, and not having to bend the fsck down to pick the things is a nice feature of the American ones.

Edit: weirdly enough the Wikipedia page for the bilberry doesn't even link to the Swedish page for the same berry [2].

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilberry

[2]: https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bl%C3%A5b%C3%A4r

Thanks for pointing out the distinction. In my home country of Romania we also tend to think of bilberries when we're talking about this kind of berry. Traditionally they grow wild, mostly in mountainous areas - they are very flavorful and not so sweet.

Until just now I actually assumed "supermarket" blueberries were just a crappier version of the real thing :)) Good to know they're two distinct plants altogether.

That's exactly what I think about American blueberries as well. Got used to "bilberries" in Poland.

Lovely with a little lime and ice, but I agree - making your own is something else!

Yes, I have some in the liquor globe right now, alongside some cloudberry!

And you are correct - I find making liqueur quite fun. Right now, I have plum leftover from last year and want to make some spruce tip liqueur if I can catch the trees at the right time.

[0] - https://extension.umaine.edu/blueberries/home/public-2/

[1] - example blueberry barren: https://downeast.com/images/blueberry-barrens-5/

For those who only now blueberries, bilberries are more tasteful, smaller and are hard to grow in cultivation yet easily cover the forest floor when humidity and dabbled shade conditions are favorable.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilberry

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccinium_myrtillus

fr. and it. are also split this way.

It's great that a lot of work went into breeding and hybridizing these fruits so they ship well so city dwellers can buy them, and they look great so you're enticed to pick up packages of them at the supermarket, but they're really a shadow of their origins. Once you've tried the original, it's hard to go back.

I say this as someone with a few dozen highbush blueberry (and domestic strawberry) plants in my garden because finding and picking the wild kind is work.

Bilberries really taste nice in milk for instance, or for flavouring icecream.

American blueberries don't add much to icecream, they sort of disappear in the general sweetness, but taste great on their own.

Next spring - massive patch of Huckleberry vines! around the compost heap.

I found them to be mild not strong in flavor. To each their own.

Here is link to a .pdf that talks bout the particulars of blueberries in Sudbury Credit: Joe D. Shorthouse is Professor Emeritus in Department of Biology at Laurentian University

https://www.blueberryfestival.ca/Blueberries%20-%20Star%20St...

Last year I picked 20lbs and also bought 40lbs of wild Vaccinium myrtilloides, aka sour tops.

My chest freezer was a quarter full of blueberries and I’m on my last 2lbs this week.

A bowl of frozen blueberries with milk is a great breakfast, and of course blueberry pancakes, muffins, and crumble!