Very few historical records exist on ancient blueberry culture in the Greek and Roman empires. Those cultures did use parts of the blueberry plants and fruit to eat or to treat ailments. The size and flavor of native blueberry plants was extremely variable, and the USDA, modern, extensive research and development of choice selections was judged on a basis of taste, yield of plants, aroma, small berry seeds, and the lasting quality of the fresh berries increased the popularity of this fruit in a period of fifty years as one of America's favorite agricultural products.

William Bartram, the early American botanist and explorer, reported seeing various members of the native blueberry plant relatives, Vaccinium varietas, as he and his father, John Bartram took an inventory of plants to establish on Georgia farms in his book, Travels, in 1773.

Luther Burbank was perhaps America's most prolific hybridizer of fruits, and he imported many native species of blueberries, Vaccinium Spp., from other countries and reported in his book, Small Fruits in 1921, that very little improvement had been made to produce a commercially, improved blueberry bush. In recent years the USDA has released excellent yielding blueberries that, when fully ripened, are sweetly flavored, aromatically pleasing, and easy to harvest. Some cultivars of blueberry plants can be machine harvested. Fresh blueberries are available in United States markets, beginning in April and extending until October.

Recent reports from health researchers have shown that blueberry fruit is higher in antioxidants than any other fruit or vegetable. These antioxidants block the presence of chemically charged particles called, "free radicals," that are believed to be the threat that initiates disease problems. The antioxidants are believed to be important in preventing cancer, stroke, heart disease, and loss of memory resulting from Alzheimer's disease. Chemically active anthocyanin pigments found in blueberries can improve failing eyesight and can prevent macular disintegration resulting from aging.

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, blueberries fight urinary tract infections and help to prevent eye macular degeneration, says Dr. Ronald Prior, director of the USDA. Early Indian culture in America taught that eating blueberries was good for coughs, and the blueberry bush leaves were used as a tea and health tonic. The North American Blueberry Council says that blueberry juice has higher concentrations of antioxidants than any of the 40 juices tested. Other health benefits from blueberries are Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin C, Niacin, and the minerals calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and iron.

Blueberries are loved by animals, birds, and many types of wildlife, such as deer, duck, and even bears. The berries provide wildlife a source of food over a very long period of feeding, when food is scarce at off season periods. Birds sometimes can be a pest to the backyard blueberry gardener, but the bird's appetite can be overcome by either the use of a screen netting to protect and cover the blueberry bushes, or a gardener can plant enough blueberry bushes for his own growing needs and the birds as well.

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