Bilberries & Blueberries

Bilberries & Blueberries

Dear Readers,
July, the National Blueberry Month in the USA, inspired us to prepare a post about blueberries and their wild cousins, bilberries, on Fundacja Wola's blog.

Background Information

🍀 In Poland, bilberri es grow in woodland all around the country; we can pick them up in July.

🍀 Highbush blueberries and rabbiteye blueberries, commonly called blueberries & American blueberries in Poland, grow on bushes, are farmed and available in Poland almost all year round.

🍀 In Finland, they’re called garden blueberries or farmed blueberries.

🍀 Due to some confusion connected with both types of berries we decided that July is a good moment to write about both of them in one post.

🍀 With the abundance of bilberries and bilberries in the summer, it doesn't come as a surprise that July has been declared the National Blueberry Month in the US and that there are other celebrations.

🍀 In Poland, 2nd July is Jagodzianka Day (a yeasted bun with bilberry filling) and Jagoda’s Name's Day – the name of fruit and a female name in Polish.
www.bbc.com/travel/article/20260630-a-sweet-bun-so-good-it-inspired-a-national-holiday

🍀 In Finland, Pick Blueberries Day is celebrated on 10th July.

🍀 In the USA, 11th July is the National Blueberry Muffin Day.

🍀 In Ireland, the last Sunday of July is the Bilberry Sunday.

How can you celebrate Bilberry & Blueberry Month?

🍀 Read about health benefits of bilberries & blueberries.
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/bilberry-benefits#summary
www.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38919390/

🍀 Cook a dish containing bilberries/blueberries.
www.facebook.com/dw.euromaxx/videos/finns-do-this-with-blueberries/1185123360332407/

🍀 Do arts & crafts. Use bilberries/blueberries motives to decorate boxes, embroider them on pillows or clothes.

🍀 Redecorate your house or flat with items featuring bilberries&blueberries.

🍀 Enjoy a walk in the forest to find bilberries - remember it's a health risk to eat them unwashed, as they may be covered with eggs of some dangerous parasites!

🍀 Read about fauna & flora of forests to understand their ecosystem better.

🍀 Visit Rovaniemi in Finland for Lapland Berry Day Experience. It's just an example such excursions are organized in various places.
www.visitfinland.com/en/product/962f23a8-0bbb-4ad8-9ea5-4082b6f294cc/lapland-berry-day-experience/

🍀 Visit a blueberry farm where it's possible to pick up some fruit yourself.

Why is it worth to celebrate Bilberry & Blueberry Month?

They have a variety of uses, such as:
🍀 In cooking,

🍀 In supplements, as they contain a variety of vitamins and minerals.

🍀 In all sorts of cosmetics, such as toners, serums and creams, moisturizers and body lotions. They make your skin firm, vital, radiant and supple.

🍀 In Finland, they are an element of lifestyle, a symbol of freedom and spending time outside.

🍀 They are connected with summer, free time, outdoor activities.

Have a Bilberry & Blueberry Summer!