During the Civil War , blueberries were harvested commercially , canned , and used to feed the Union Army . Downeast Maine has supplied roughly 90 % of the world ’ s wild blueberry supply since A . L . Stewart and Jasper Wyman began canning berries in Cherryfield in 1874 . The fourth generation of the Wyman family is actively involved in the management of the company . The wild blueberry rake , first developed in the late 1800s , is unchanged today . The grandson of the original inventor now runs the company that has been manufacturing rakes since 1910 .
Wild blueberries are a mainstay of the economy and culture in Downeast Maine . Generations of schoolteachers , high school students , families , loggers , and Wabanaki returned to the barrens every year along with people from all over the world , for a working vacation in August at blueberry harvest time . The August harvest once drew a large population of migrant workers to the region , including Micmac from Canada , Hispanics , and Latinos . Migrants sent money home to their families . Generations of local youth paid for school clothes and their first cars . A permanent population of Latino residents , wild blueberry farms with roadside stands , giant tractors crawling down the road , and seasonal workers are a modern-day continuation of the long-standing history of wild blueberry production .
Due to the tradition of wild blueberry farming , substrate in the barrens remains largely intact , revealing some of the best-preserved glacial features in North America .
Forest Products
The forests of Maine have been a resource since the area first was inhabited by humans . The Wabanaki collected maple sap as a sweetener , harvested wild foods and medicinal plants that grow in forests , harvested tree bark for housing and canoes and ash for baskets , constructed a variety of tools , and burned logs for warmth and cooking food . People continue the annual harvests of specialty forest foods such as maple sap , mushrooms , wild berries , and fiddleheads . Many people heat their homes with wood . Local woods like birch and maple are still used for kitchen utensils and utilitarian works of art .
Early Europeans were amazed by the size , density , and sheer profusion of the North American forests .
Forest Bounty - The forests of Maine have been a resource since the area first was inhabited by humans . People continue the annual harvests of specialty forest foods such as maple sap , mushrooms , wild berries , and fiddleheads . Photo by Tessa Ftorek .
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