BILBERRY - How European Blueberries are Different than American Blueberries - Weird Fruit Explorer

Episode 503: Bilberrry
Latin Name: Vaccinium myrtillus
Location: Finland
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[@WeirdExplorer]

which one sounds better to you: bilberry or blueberry?

[@davidsullivan8788]

Blueberry

[@WhoDidIKill]

Definitely Blueberry

[@afeathereddinosaur]

Bilberry

[@youtube.commentator]

The 'murican one of course

[@TralalaptaTurtleMan]

Definitely blueberry

[@sampletext9390]

All of those bilberries are the same species. The red leaves are just a discoloration (due to multiple reasons) and the black ones have a genetic mutation that causes them to lose their waxy coating (if you rub a "blue" bilberry it will turn black). Great vids Don't know if this was mentioned yet or not

[@LZmiljoona]

Ohh I have to try that! Where I am from, bilberries are called "blackberries" (Schwarzbeeren in German) - and I always wondered why.

[@ares395]

Wow, that's actually really cool fact. I love when there is a simple mutation (well, maybe not that simple) which you can actually see.

[@imsunnybaby]

yesss i was gonna point that out. ive had multiple different and random plants in the garden get the red coloring. my guess was frost/cold but dont really know

[@cyberash3000]

@@LZmiljoona in english blackberries are a different fruit

[@ld1844]

@@cyberash3000 I think it's regional how we call them in Germany. In my region they're called blueberry (Blaubeere) or sometimes Heidelbeere (don't know what the english translation would be).

[@MrGlennJohnsen]

We don't even consider the "blueberries" that are white inside for real blueberries where I live.

[@n0namesowhatblerp362]

Thank you!

[@sheep1ewe]

In Scandinavia (and the Nord) those who has a white inside is a third species called "Odon" in Sweden, they are closly related to both American blueberry and Bilberries, they are edible (however there is a missconseption in sweden that they are poisonous, wich i think may be because they for some reason has become confused with snakeberries/Herb of Paris(?) wich is a complete different type of plant but also with round blue berries of the same shape, however snakeberries are poisonous, snakeberries grow on a soft lillylike stem with a distinct crimson shape crown of green leaves, they usualy grow in the shadow in the scrubs around near lakeshores and not in the deepforest or bogs as the blueberry family "Odoon" wich grow on a small bluerry like plant are edible) but they does not hawe much taste and may hawe a slight bitter savory taste instead of the smooth sweet taste of the bilberrys (Nordic blueberries).

[@sesseljabs964]

same here! we call them blueberries but no one really likes them, we call bilberries something like "main blueberry" (horriffic translation sorry). american blueberries taste like water and dirt tbh.

[@Herra_K]

@@sesseljabs964 trueeee

[@shadowlibrarian400]

We just call them American blueberries.

[@t-bear5243]

It's funny, cause most people in Norway and probably Sweden and Finland too call the american blueberries fake blueberries.

[@sandraisaksson7853]

No we don't call them fake blueberries, we call them shitty blueberries.

[@riippumatoonon1620]

We call them garden blueberries but dont like them 😸

[@MrMosher76]

Why would they refer to them as “American” at all??

[@fidelkva4810]

Because the species is from North America

[@freshtoast9578]

i call them ripoff grapes because of how flavorless they are they taste more similar to really cheap grapes than actual blueberries.

[@newperspective5918]

Dont worry about finding billberries, they grow in something like 15-20% of Swedens forest area. Probably similar in Finland. You find them in almost all forest given a 10 min walk.

[@LeXar71]

Actually they cover roughly 17% of the total area of Sweden! Which is a bit crazy to think about...

[@timoijas5316]

Yep they grow everywhere here too, as well as lingon berries. Also, the taste is different depending on the time of the year you pick them. Bilberries can be pretty sweet also if you pick them late summer/early fall.

[@ei96byod]

We call them "blåbär" (in Swedish) which translates to "blueberry". We call the large berry that you call blueberry "amerikanska blåbär", which means "american blueberry". Very confusing 🙂 I prefer the small one (bilberry), although the large one (blueberry) is good too. The large ones are usually a bit bland and boring in Sweden (because they are imported). The combination of bilberry and raspberry as a jam is called "drottningsylt" in Swedish (Queens jam), and is the best jam you could ever have hands down! 👍

[@WeirdExplorer]

Oh man.. that sounds like a killer combination

[@matejmatej3554]

We call them " brovnica" here in Slovenia and big one is called " ameriska brovnica" greetings from sLOVEnia east europe

[@marilynlawson8216]

@@matejmatej3554 Greetings to you in Slovenia from a Jamaican via Queens, New York!

[@gdn2705]

So they don't only grow in the UK great in apple crumble

[@astorvialaw4980]

There's also what's called King's jam, which is basically Queen's jam with strawberries!

[@lassemanninen4750]

I was in restaurant academy (Helsinki Finland) at 1980-1982. I was 17-19y. Back then they all were translated blueberry. I have read "bilberry" sometimes on this century. In finnish (european) blueberry is "Mustikka", and (american) blueberry was "Pensasmustikka", that in direct translation is "Bush-blueberry". Back then american variation was stil extremely rare here in Finland. And usually seen in movies and TV. First time that i have eaten american blueberry, i was thinking "this do not taste anything, this is fake berry".

[@KiMoKo9787]

It seems true with some species of plants for sure, watermelon is a big one here, but the imported ones taste better than our American ones lol

[@Solo99.]

Im from Sweden and yeah I thought the same about the first time trying American version

[@tbjtbj4786]

@@KiMoKo9787 what variety of watermelon? There's a huge difference in them. I grew up when congo and rattlesnake were the ones mostly planted. They were big but very good ones. The new small seedless and sangria that the most common now I don't like at all. I grow a few of the old kind for the family. And some of the old yellow ones are pretty good too.

[@KiMoKo9787]

@@tbjtbj4786 we mostly have big ones, 15ish lbs with dark green stripes, pale red insides that tastes like water. They used to be more red and juicy so maybe they're picking too early? I'm unsure of the exact type here in south Florida but ours are usually imported from Georgia

[@tbjtbj4786]

@@KiMoKo9787 seed or seed less? More like jubilee or sangria. There in tge 15 lbs range. Light red and water tasting sounds like they were not ripe. Oh if you think 15 lbs are big. Try a congo if you find one up to about 75 lbs around 3 feet long. They are seedy but really sweet.

[@EasyonlineID]

Like everyone already has explained before me. In Norway we say "blåbær" or blueberry in english. But as i understand in North Amerika they call "blåbær" bilberry. In Norway we either call the Amercan version "American blueberry" or "Royalblue". In my opinion the American blueberry reminds me a bit of grapes.

[@absalomdraconis]

I've never tried them, but apparently _wild_ American blueberry tastes a bit different than the domesticated version. I _have_ seen them, and at the very least they're smaller.

[@wilmeroberg9794]

same in Sweden, but we say "Blåbär"

[@Sauvenil]

@@absalomdraconis The wild ones are MUCH MUCH better. The store-bought farm berries are just bland in comparison.

[@LokiOdinssnn]

@@wilmeroberg9794 that is literally the same word.

[@hin_hale]

We scandies just call them blueberries. I believe the blue color comes from the berries being coated in a thin layer of wax that disperses the light bouncing off the dark color underneath and makes the berry look blue. The black, shiny berries just don't have that layer for some reason.

[@Phatency]

Yeah, and there's even a common mutation in bilberries that prevents the wax from forming, and it makes them look darker. They are a bit less bitter without the wax imo.

[@Narnendil]

Great information!

[@Hwyadylaw]

It's a bit amusing as a (Northern) European to see bilberries referred to as the "special" blueberries and American blueberries as "standard". I like the texture of blueberries, and the size make them better suited to eat fresh as a snack or on a cheeseboard or something. They also don't go mushy as easily. That said, I prefer the taste of bilberry, so I guess my ideal "blueberry" to eat right off the plant would be an American blueberry with the flavour and colour of the bilberry. Hot billberry "soup" is a great dish to have outdoors in the winter. The heat makes them slightly less tart and more aromatic.

[@jon-pettermagnessnn7006]

The black bilberries are vaccinium myrtillus var. epruinosum, according to old Norwegian folklore these were poisonous because the Common Viper, the only venomous snake up here, had licked them. The leaf color is the same for both varieties, red leaves before fall is usually a sign of poor nutrition or dehydration. We have one more blueberry/bilberry species (vaccinium uliginosum) growing here in Norway, they're considered bland, same goes for crowberries.

[@WeirdExplorer]

Thank you! I had a hard time finding information about it. The best I got was the species being the same.

[@andersmyrhammar2600]

@@WeirdExplorerThe black coloring is a mutation that causes the berries to lose their waxy coating, which normally breaks the light differently to produce the lighter blue color. The wax protects them against dehydration, and since the mutation produces a less hardy variety it does not prevail and propogate to produce a more stable subspecies, but are outcompeted by the vaxy version.

[@gard4893]

@@WeirdExplorer the first two types of billberrys we call blåbær (blueberrys) in Norway, but the last one vaccinium uliginosum goes by blokkebær (probably because they look and taste quite different). I wouldnt say that crowberrys are bland, they are actually quite tart, but there are a lot of seeds in each berry, so when i eat them, i eat a small handfull of them, then spit the seeds out. My grandparents used to make a really good syrup from crowberrys, which we could mix out with water and drink all throughout the winter.

[@lubricustheslippery5028]

There where also Vaccinium uliginosum leaves hear and there on the video. Didn't see any berries on them. They are not as good as V. myrtillioides so not eaten even if you can. Krowberries (Empetrum nigrum/hermaphroditum) is also not eaten even if you can.

[@gard4893]

@@lubricustheslippery5028 the crowberrys are eaten, they taste really good, but the texture is a bit unsettling because of the seeds. When I eat them I squeeze the juice out of them, then spit the seeds out. They also make a really good syrup (saft).

[@fireemblemaddict128]

I accidentally made a bilberry pie once. I thought they were blueberries, still turned out great.

[@herrakaarme]

I have also made both. They are great, though in my opinion a bilberry pie is a bit better. But it's a matter of taste and what you are used to, as always.

[@Merecir]

Bilberry pie is staple in Sweden and just as popular as apple pie.

[@sdfkjgh]

@@Merecir: As -American- Swedish as -apple- bilberry pie.

[@ValisFan3]

It sounds great. Apple pies are usually made with tart apples, so it would make sense for a blueberry pie to be made with tart berries.

[@mymmy]

Bilberry pies are what I thought Americans were eating when they said "blueberry pie" until I was about 19. Most Finns don't realize the difference.

[@MrMorrberg]

If you want something really rare, you could look for a hybrid between lingonberry and bilberry. Super rare but they do exist naturally in the wild. There is also a version of bilberry without the blue colour (Vaccinium f. leucocarpum) also super rare.

[@migara1]

I'm from Romania, and I always wondered why supermarket blueberries are so different to the blueberries I forage late summer. Myself I prefer the forest ones just because they're more complex in flavour. But I do like the supermarket ones too

[@lunkel8108]

The first few times I ate blueberries they were always freshly picked from a forest or hill here in germany. When I first bought ones from the store and they turned out to be way more watery and less flavorful I was a bit disappointed. I definitly prefer our native variety. Also, your tounge turning blue from eating them is an integral part of the experience!

[@erikjohnson9223]

Supermarket varieties tend to be native to North America and are in a different subgenus (fruit is in corymbs rather than singly borne, making them generally more productive). Western USA "huckleberries" are in the same subgenus as European bilberries, and Vaccinium uglinossum occurs in both places. (In the Eastern USA, "huckleberry" is a different genus, Gaylusacia baccata , which tastes a bit like our blueberries, but gets a gritty texture from its 10 much larger seeds.). Both highbush (Vaccinium corymbosum) and rabbiteye (V. ashei) blueberries have been heavily selected for larger fruit [which markets well here in the USA, where most people seem to be visual shoppers; and where domestication occurred and the bulk of blueberry breeding still occurs] over 20th century, though a few old highbush varieties (Rubel & Rancoccas) are still sold by nurseries and have smaller fruit that I consider generally better (more antioxidants--in North American blueberries, all the color is in the skin; and less likely to create soggy spots in your blueberry muffins). Lowbush blueberries are still usually harvested from the "wild" (the germplasm is wild, but the native plots are maintained/promoted by controlled burning to keep the blueberries dominant and trees suppressed), so they tend to be smaller and a bit more flavorful.

[@migara1]

@@erikjohnson9223 very interesting, thanks for the thorough reply

[@rachelclark6393]

One more thing to add - like most things American blueberries grown in your yard or picked from the wild are going to taste better than a grocery store blueberry by a long shot. I've never had a bilberry so I can't compare, but I'm sure they're equally good. I can't account for the difference between commercial blueberries and home grown/gathered blueberries, but it's definitely noticeable.

[@Narnendil]

@@rachelclark6393 Home grown American blueberries are definitely tastier than storebought ones, but in my opinion only by a little. I still prefer European blueberries waaaay more. But this is of course a personal preference. I like the tartness of the European blueberries. American bluberries taste bland and too sweet in my opnion.

[@Corsair721]

Its called Blåbær here in Norway, the generic and bland berries from the US as are also named blueberries, despite being white inside

[@shubaduc9486]

TheBackan norwegian squad

[@Corsair721]

@@shubaduc9486 Selvsagt!

[@shubaduc9486]

TheBackan lol

[@Kavriel]

I love bilberries, we call them Myrtilles in France, and they often get confused for Blueberries, despite the size difference. A Bilberry is heavenly. My grandma used to toss a good amount inside a crunchy tart crust and we were in for a treat. Eating that with some vanilla icecream or whipped cream ... It gets messy ! But it's well worth the effort.

[@L.Peacock]

Just discovered this channel today, I wish I could watch all 503 at once but alas. Thank you for making such great, interesting, and educational content.

[@amerikajayme1462]

Same here! I found it a few days ago and I can’t wait to binge them

[@JTMusicbox]

I found the channel relatively recently and binge watched them all. It took several months. There’s about 500 fruit videos but over 670 in all. This channel is awesome!

[@ricois3]

In French, Bilberries are called myrtilles (not the same as Myrtle in English) and American blueberries are just called Bleuets. In Québec, both are known as Bleuets because we don't know the bilberry and we produce a lot of blueberries.

[@bigmohawkguy]

Have you ever had an allergic reaction to any of the fruits you’ve tried around the world?

[@VRGNHNS]

Swede here, I got kind of offended to hear that what for all my life was blueberries apparently are called "billberries" over there, well "Billberries" stay supreme, the american blueberries are just for decoration... And what you call "northen billberry" is not considered worth the effort to pick

[@n0namesowhatblerp362]

Hi there fellow swede. let me make you a bit happier about that. :) The modern English word blue comes from Middle English bleu or blewe, from the Old French bleu, a word of Germanic origin. Note that it says germanic origin. And you know what we used to call black things in old swedish/danish probably norwegian too... Blue! Harald Bluetooth had black teeth for example, not blue. So i guess they used to be seen as blackberries, which is also what theyre known as in russia. Since the word blue is of germanic origin i claim the blueberry of the european verison to be the original and the one to give blueberries their name. Whatever the native americans called those berries, that are white inside, not blue, would be what theyre called. A european blueberry is a blueberry, both inside and out and they are what that word originates from.

[@VRGNHNS]

@@n0namesowhatblerp362 Yes, the ones here just have to be the "original" haha. I will return your information with the origin story "fuck" from ancient nordic "focka" (to pull someting back and forwards) its funny that its now back in english form used on a daily in Sweden

[@TheGreatDrAsian]

I was gonna ask for the Bilberry!! :D How awesome! Good stuff man!

[@oakstrong1]

Where I lived there were some blueberries growing alongside bilberries. Everyone thought them to be inferior that they were not even picked by most. I've heard some of them call them as rubbish berries because they were so tasteless in comparison. To be sure, most tasted so mild and some had no flavour at all. The blueberries are easy to spot, because the plants are much taller. I agree that the best ones are the black and shiny ones, but the dusty blue ones are the most common type. In the height of the season the whole undergrowth is a blue with barriers; it is difficult to stop even when your buckets are full and your back is begging you to stand straight.

[@iforgotmyusername11]

The blueberries or bilberries were called rubbish berries?

[@subtitan7]

@@iforgotmyusername11 blueberries

[@oakstrong1]

@@iforgotmyusername11 Blueberries. I'm used to them now I cannot get bilberries but when I first bought blueberries I was disappointed with the lack of flavour. I didn't buy them again for several years because I didn't think they were worth the money.

[@UnintentionalSubmarine]

As many have noted the bilberries are just blueberries or wild blueberries here, and the blueberries are American blueberries. But there is a further third variety, that isn't sold or grown commercially but is pretty common in non-forested areas like bogs and hearths, as it requires slightly acidic soil. Here in Denmark it's called Mosebøllebær (lit. translation 'bog thimble berry'). Supposedly it also grows in North America, so it shouldn't be entirely unknown to a fruit aficionado, but I don't know the name in English. It's about the same size as the bilberry, but often more elongated (hence the thimble part of the name), the dimple is less pronounced and it is white on the inside with a colourless juice. And it is unfortunately not as strong in taste as the bilberry, but it's still a refreshing little berry. Oh and crowberries (Danish: Revling) often grow alongside it.

[@neilbuckley1613]

Sounds like the Bog Whortleberry.

[@UnintentionalSubmarine]

@@neilbuckley1613 Thank you. Having a name to go off, it is indeed the bog whortleberry.

[@Immortalbus]

I love the videos you do where you are out in the wild or otherwise and give some history on the fruit too, The one where you went to Jamacia and cooked with a local particularly stands out in memory. I'm curious when the rest of the Milk alternative showdowns will be posted too? Thanks for the great vids man

[@marilynlawson8216]

Jamacia? Where is it?

[@Immortalbus]

@@marilynlawson8216 my bad, Jamaica.

[@Bone_Muncher]

I just want to say that I love your videos, they’re so weirdly interesting

[@MrIgorkap]

I remember bilberries from when I lived in russia. We called them chernika which ironically translates as blackberry. Whereas blackberries are called ezhevika or hedgehog berry. There is also golubika which is the blue berry.

[@suakeli]

Finns call bilberry 'mustikka', which can be translated as blackberry. The English blackberry is called 'karhunvatukka', bear's raspberry in Finnish.

[@LZmiljoona]

Same in Austrian German, we call them Schwarzbeere (blackberry)!

[@n0namesowhatblerp362]

Funny thing about the scandinavian languages, the word blue used to mean black. At least in swedish and danish, when something was described as being very dark it was called blue. Nowadays we would all say black of course. Harald Bluetooth is great exampel of this, he probably had black teeth and was thus called bluetooth.

[@properboy9979]

Thank you for sharing your adventurous discoveries. I enjoyed the content. Cheers, Michael

[@Brakvash]

*so I'm going to try the regular one first (tries the massive berries)* Scandinavian: You call those regular!? *these are bill berries (points to blueberries)* Scandinavian: *Oi mate you trying to start a fight?!* Source: I'm a swede and this was my reaction.

[@tktspeed1433]

As a finn, this is an opinion I can join forces on with a swede.

[@blarschnarph]

When I was teaching at a summer camp in Poland, the forest around the camp was FILLED with wild blueberry plants. I spent a couple hours picking a basketful of them to share with people. It was hella fun.

[@starrya5647]

Billberries! I've been waiting for this. As a child growing up in the UK we only ever had billberries that we picked in the hills. Then when I was a teenager the supermarkets started selling blueberries, but they were white inside! They also didn't turn the custard purple when you mixed a crumble of them with it 😆 Edit: Me and my dad used to have competitions for who could find the biggest ones... we called them prize guys

[@pattheplanter]

Mmmmm, bilberry crumble.

[@Call-me-Al]

@@pattheplanter bilberry crumble pie with vanilla sauce is one of my earliest childhood memories

[@alexs8253]

If you enjoy different kinds of berries you should definitely try Kamchatka honeysuckle - also a blueberry-like taste but completely different - and well worth a trip to Eastern Europe!

[@drrydher]

Guys like this are incredibly important at all times, especially for survival. Kudos & best wishes!

[@NatureShy]

Huckleberries are the best! Having never tried a bilberry, I’d imagine that they taste fairy similar to huckleberries. Huckleberries are just like you described, more tart, complex, but perhaps the difference being more sweeter than a bilberry?

[@peasant502]

I am happy that this channel exists. There are few more unique and entertaining channels than this

[@Cassiopeia7o7]

In Poland the bilberries are the normal ones, growing in the wild, as you saw them in Finlad :) They're intense, sweet, the skin is a bit tart, and the juice stains everything. Perfect for cakes, milkshakes, jams or even pierogi (dumplings) filling. In Polish the bilberries are called "jagody" (don't know the ethymology and it doesn't really translate to anything, but we also name a colour "jagodowy" - light purple) and the American ones are "borówki" or "American borówki", and they're different enough I wouldn't normally even consider them same fruit.

[@HMan2828]

So, Jared, I can't be the first one to think about how mushrooms are actually fruits (fungi fruits)... When will you do a mushrooms series?

[@overruler9928]

cubensis episode boutta go crazy

[@Luxito_DeWarlock]

That’s be interesting. I’d like to see him review some Chicken of the woods, some Morrel mushrooms, and if he’s lucky some Black Truffle mushrooms 😋

[@mandab.3180]

pretty sure he said previously he didn't care much for mushrooms so he wouldn't..

[@HMan2828]

@@mandab.3180 Bah that's just because he hasn't tried enough... Not a fan of typical grocery store mushrooms either (buttons, portobello, shiitake), but wild mushrooms like chicken of the woods, morelles, oyster mushrooms, inkcaps, etc, are another deal entirely! And there are so many!

[@mandab.3180]

@@HMan2828 you don't have to convince me 😂 but yea i can understand, if you haven't had good mushrooms you don't know what you're missing.

[@adibadiz]

I LOVE YOUR CONTANT MAN!

[@CasaFuenteOrange]

You’re such a nice guy, you can really tell thru the videos. I appreciate your hunger and passion for fruit and sharing it with others . I hope one day I’m able to travel the world with my passion

[@EatAwayTV]

Thanks for the bil/blueberry rundown. I found it really intriguing as I get lots of frozen polish blueberries but cannot figure out the intricacies 😅

[@PowerTom286]

Hi Jared. That reminds me of my childhood when we went just into the woods behind my parents' house to eat as much as we could of bilberries and the very sour lingonberries, that must have an 11 on your scale, Hahaha. Much more sour than cranberries. After the feeding frenzi we mostly came home with purple blueish spots on hands and clothes, and a blackish purple tongue. I grew up south of Nürnberg/Mittelfranken in northern bavaria, and they grew everywhere. I agree they are better than the cultivated american blueberries, but not available on the market for a reasonable price. I haven't seen them for sale for maybe 30 years.

[@rakkrisr123]

Cool video 👍👍

[@pielord33321]

Woah! Okay, look all your videos are lovely and the fruit and exploration is why I'm here, but did you use the 2nd movement of the Moonlight Sonata? Holy cow! That's my favorite part of the piece, but almost nobody plays it.

[@vincem3748]

Noticed that too. Normally I like composers outside of the mainstream, but I love me some Beethoven!

[@trygveevensen171]

The big blueberries are often referred to as american blueberries while the small ones you forage are just blueberries or forest blueberries. They love newly cut forest, but as the trees grow there'll be less berries on the plants. Sun is crucial. It's strange seeing someone so fascinated with something so common.

[@Ama-Elaini]

I'm one of the Finns who pick blue- and bilberries every summer and here's my take about the things you wonder about bilberries. They like... - Acidic soil typically in conifer woods - Moderate to plenty of rain - Slopes (or wherever water flows inside the soil) - Light places (so your perception is correct) They are actually considered as superfood here, so they are a fruit where delicious flavor meets equally great health benefits. Usually we don't have to look for them like cloudberries either since they form really large carpets on the forest floor (as you noticed). Either way, I noticed the fruit lover in you went all 👀 when you saw all that! I live in southern parts and they're just as common here as in the northern parts. If there's cloudberries here sometimes then we may be called lucky. The black bilberries you found are pretty much the same species. The blue color on blue- and bilberries is actually caused by a wax coating and on some berries it's missing. The red leaves you see is actually very similar to leaves turning red at fall - we call it "ruska." Blueberries can do it even at summer. The sweetness also varies regardless of the amount of wax. Some have also found a very rare natural mutation of bilberry that's completely white: yle.fi/uutiset/3-9069999 They are milder and sweeter but you can still recognize them as blueberries by flavor.

[@chrism3845]

Wow! What a find!!

[@appa609]

I like these adventure videos a lot.

[@hunnidews9894]

So the difference is ours are obese... makes sense lol

[@SecretLars]

And flavourless, it's basically just sugar and hint of blueberry. While bilberries or real blueberries have almost 10 times the flavour.

[@MephistoRolling]

When i was walking in the forests in russia it was the same, blueberries everywhere, but mixed in were some wild strawberries and raspberries too! i loved that trip, berries are my favourite.

[@oweneercrx2974]

hey man! I love your channel and every single video I've seen so far :) I was checking out your Patreon and I was definitely thinking of doing the $100 tier thing because going to NYC (live in Westchester btw) and trying some new crazy fruits sounds awesome to me and I would love to support the channel to be able to see more awesome videos. However, I know Covid might be a bit of a roadblock for that so I was wondering if you have any idea when a trip like that would be doable for you, I also have a buddy who would love to come along and I was wondering if I did end up doing this trip sometime would it be possible to bring my friend for free or would it be necessary for him to support the $100 tier Patreon as well. (I think it would be an easy sell haha)

[@jasminecollins897]

Oh, wow! It's a big relief to see how small the bilberry plants are. I grew some from seed a couple of years ago, and they still look like miniature blueberry plants. I thought I had done something wrong and stunted them. Mine haven't grown berries yet, but now I'm more hopeful that they might next year.

[@flamencoguy3000]

There are low bush and high bush blueberries. The ones harvested using a comb device are wild low bush types that grow in colder climates..

[@jonahlindhe756]

I have been waiting for so long for this one! Thank you! I want to make clear for people that these grow in abundance in way more southern parts than Lappland. This summer I picked some near Gothenburg. I am not sure that you get them outside of the nordic region, though.

[@thexbigxgreen]

That's so funny that you mentioned that blueberries have a basil flavour to them, I thought the same thing, so in culinary school I made a blueberry basil ice cream! It was pretty awesome.

[@Thomahawk1234]

That sounds pretty good. How did it turn out?

[@thexbigxgreen]

@@Thomahawk1234 It was good, but I was still somewhat new to cooking, and I was too sparing with the basil, it wasn't as pronounced a flavour as it should have been. It was still tasty though, would recommend 🙂

[@hannayoung9657]

The redleaf billberry is the same as the green leafed ones, they just lack the eproinosum . Used to be know as Shoemakers billberries, why I have no clue. You had lingon but also some bearberrys too.

[@williamfullofwood7421]

I think it was because children would pick bilberries to sell and earn money for their school shoes.

[@hannayoung9657]

@@williamfullofwood7421 Well the black ones was seen as not edible by the older generation.

[@casanovafunkenstein5090]

Shiny like leather, possibly?

[@hannayoung9657]

@@casanovafunkenstein5090 Could be, they thought animals had peed on the berries.

[@davecphotographyuk]

Im so glad you introduced me to the rake, i can't tell you how tedious its is collection individualy sparsely placed berries, i spent ages yesterday picking individual fruits.

[@sivolb]

«This is a killer spot» how cute. Cheers from Norway

[@carbonbeaker409]

Alaskan wild and Maine wild are definitely more similar to billberries. I believe AK blueberries are indeed a type of billberries, and I would definitely take them over blueberries any day! Grew up with AK wild blueberries and that tart sweetness.

[@plumsmuglers]

Very nicely done matching video chapters with Beethoven sonata no. 14 movements.

[@KGBgringo]

Hi from Cornwall, England. We have bilberry too, usually out form late summer and normally only found on moorland.

[@williamfullofwood7421]

You find them in some coastal sessile oak forests too. There's loads growing at Lerryn near Lostwithiel.

[@katokhaelan4881]

wow man, you're my hero. so cool

[@dolsimon]

When did you get such a great camera?

[@WeirdExplorer]

right before I went to africa a couple years ago

[@2handsandwiches]

Bilberry was used to dye fabric in the UK, there is a big bilberry patch in the woods by where I live. It's also used as the colour dye when they stamp meat.

[@Myshka331]

I'm from Canada, and I've never liked those big store-bought blueberries. The wild species that grow here are much more similar in appearance and flavour to the bilberries and I was fortunate enough to grow up primarily in the fringes of the boreal forest in Western Canada so I was always surrounded in wild blueberries. On the very rare occasions my mother would buy blueberries from the grocery store, all of us kids would complain about having to eat them because they were so bland and watery. These days, I don't completely hate the simple sweetness of the store-bought berries, but wild blueberries are still so much better.

[@marialiyubman]

Jared cutting a little berry in half. Are you on a diet? 😂

[@Govadina]

The small ones when picked to be sold are picked unripe, but if you plan to eat them yourself you pick them later on and they are logically, sweeter and less tart

[@plants_before_people5329]

Bilberries grow in pretty much every forest in the Netherlands. Many people go to the forest to pick them

[@alejandrorobles6865]

You should try garambullo, it looks like a blueberry but it actually comes from a cactus called Myrtilocactus (Blueberry cactus). It ferments really quick tough so its hard to get it fresh

[@siggyincr7447]

First time I've ever heard European blueberries called bilberries. I've seen them also called low-bush blueberries, in contrast to the high-bush berries that are the American type which can grow about 2m tall. For fresh eating the high-bush blueberries are fine, but for baking they're a waste of time.

[@mrsary7868]

The dark shiny bilberries with the redder leaves are the variety we have growing on the moors all around where I live in Lancashire UK, I recognise them but not the other variety. We call them Whimberries but I think that is a hyper regional name for them probably not even used in all of Lancashire, but just the east. The popular way we use them is in a small tart called a whimberry charlotte, which they sell in bakeries when they are in season.

[@killerdude-hz2bb]

Bilberries can have a taste of things growing next to it, if there's a lot of spruce or juniper they can get a light spruce or juniper note!

[@MrHandKman]

I pick blåbær ( bilberries) every year. I've begun juicing them also. We usually add sugar since they aren't always so sweet. With sugar and milk as a simple desert. Or bake them in cakes.

[@martinn.6082]

When I visited northern Iceland, I saw some people picking bilberries with some special cans. They just bend over and lifted the can under the berry and it fell into the storage part of the can. I was intrigued and the next day I picked a few myself. They were tiny and very, very sour or tasteless. I guess they made jelly of them instead of eating them raw. At first I thought they were picking lingonberries, but I couldn’t find any of those.

[@fandasysel6075]

I would never think I will see 15 minute review on Blueberry's.

[@ChillesofFlanders]

Here in Belgium the berries that are white on the inside are called 'blauwbessen' (literally: blue berries) while the ones that are also blue inside are called 'bosbessen' ('forest berries'). Most people don't know the difference though, since 'bosbessen' (of bilberries) are quite rare and in shops and supermarkets the blueberries are always available - mostly imported.

[@Commenter339]

The forest variety is good to eat with vanilla milk, the bigger ones are more often cultivated in gardens here and are sweeter and good on their own.

[@ratboy669]

you should do a video like this but on alpine strawberries! theyre just like bilberries in that theyre smaller than strawberries, sweeter, they need a lot of sun so they take over huge clearings, and the colder they freeze in the winter, the sweeter the fruit is the next summer

[@NayrbRellimer]

If you had gone to Iceland during bilberry season, you probably should've gone foraging for some with a local Icelandic tour guide.

[@sigurdhansen4251]

im from denmark and i dont like normal big blueberrys that you get in the supermarket they just taste bland but when i find the small ones i the wild they kinda taste like raspberry and apple wich is amazing and i can feel the vitamins and in sweden they are even better sorry for the bad grammer

[@neilbuckley1613]

In England Bilberry is the regional name in S.E. England. In the west of England they are Whortleberries, in Northern England we call them Whinberries [also Wimberries] and in Scotland they are Blaeberries. I pick them [they are very plentiful on the moors around here] and have used them for pies, tarts, jam and steeped in vodka. Some people make a wine from them.

[@fish_narc]

i just discovered bilberries in washington state us and was amazed at their tropical flavor

[@lemagreengreen]

Yep, bilberry. We call it blaeberry in Scotland. They make good jam and pie :) I believe they require acidic soil or have some sort of relationship with pine trees since they grow best in places with pine trees nearby, also noticed ferns in the same sort of habitat. In the right places they grow very well though.

[@Ermude10]

Cool video! Honestly from the looks of it, the patch of billberries (and other berries) that you found doesn't look that bountiful to me as a Swede. Normally if it's a good berry year (which it was this year), you can find tens of berries on every plant (or is the correct word "bush" maybe?). Fun fact: A Swedish brown bear can eat up to 20k calories per day from mostly just billberries and maybe crowberries during high season!

[@halfwayinfinate6342]

In Ireland, particularly in the east mountain ranges and forests you can find bilberries. There's this one forest called Jouce Woods and it's just this forest full of bilberries and coniferous trees. They like that peaty soil the coniferous trees provide. They don't like overly fertile soil or too much sunlight. I haven't tried any yet but I'm planning on forraging some. Last year I wasn't sure what they were so I didn't pick any. I forgot to mention that they are a native species to Ireland.

[@malik2433]

So strange this video just came out, because I came across billberries in the wild yesterday, no fruit unfortunately, but I'll make sure to go back next summer.

[@Cendoria]

As a European I'm very triggered by your use of the word "bilberry" to describe the original blueberry. Your American ones are called Northern highbush blueberries. European ones are called blueberries.

[@m.b.6402]

Except we have wild blueberries that are very close to indistinguishable from your low-bush wild berries. I grew up around them. They are MUCH better than the big cultivated high-bush.

[@-jank-willson]

Also in America (virginia) we have wild blueberries called 'huckleberries' of which there are 2 main categories: short, 6 inch high bushes, and tall, 7 foot tall bushes...

[@NatureShy]

Huckleberries are so much better than high bush blueberries. More tart, complex, with a nice amount of sweetness too. They grow everywhere in the Pacific Northwest. We also have Bog blueberry/bog Bilberry, which is very tart and not really that sweet.

[@Youtuber-mc2uv]

@@NatureShy Are huckleberries similar in taste to high bush and euro wild blueberries? is it the same taste and size berries with the low and tall huckleberrybushes?

[@Youtuber-mc2uv]

@@m.b.6402 Have you tried european bluberries and compared if they are similar in taste? Are all wild amerivan blueberries the same or are there varieties. Among culltivatet there are differences in size, height, and taste. Though I haven't tried any besides the common cultivars which are sweet and nice but would be great with some more taste to them.

[@tombarse7252]

So, I recently stumbled upon your channel and I was curious, if you're doing blueberries, have you done june berries/service berries/Saskatoon? I apologize if you have, I haven't been able to find it yet. Kind of a neat plant, native to North America, with a range from the Yucatan peninsula to the arctic circle.

[@WeirdExplorer]

yep! it's a good one

[@juliabrola118]

me and my auntie would make bilberry buns all the time when I was younger, very popular in Poland where they call the bilberry fruit “jagody” which can be found in most forests

[@Koniiiik]

From the point of view of a brewer who likes to brew beverages with different fruits and berries, in my experience, the “american” blueberries contain mostly sugar (at least as far as the soluble compounds go) - adding them to a brew makes a fairly small difference in color, or flavor, but they are really quite sweet, because of a lot of sugar which is simply consumed by the yeast. Bilberries, on the other hand, even a rather small amount gives your beverage a lot of color, flavor, and aroma. Seems quite consistent to me with containing a lower concentration of sugar, and a lot more coloring and flavoring compounds. Also, seeing the intro to this video, the amazement at the abundance of them is just adorable. In Slovakia, you mostly see bilberries in national parks, and they are mostly a thing in more mountainous parts of the country, usually being picked clean by tourists in any area that gets any foot traffic to speak of, but they are still relatively common to anyone who likes to hike. However, since moving to Sweden, I've seen copious amounts of them even in fairly small parks in a major coastal city; they are just everywhere, and not nearly enough people care about picking them.

[@dancingram79]

We have them in Sweden too. We call them "blåbär" or blueberries. Sooo good! 😁 we pluck all sort of berries, lingonberries are awsome too. and mushrooms 🍄

[@ZaDussault]

It's funny, because here in Canada, our wild blueberries are nothing like the store blueberries! The store big blueberries are called Highbush blueberries and the wild ones are the Lowbush blueberries, those grow everywhere on mossy and rocky grounds. I've never had a bilberry to compare, but they are even smaller and probably much sweeter. They are also way darker than the usual blueberry on the inside

[@f_youtubecensorshipf_nazis]

I take billberry as a supplement because I have horrible night glare from headlights when driving, I was pretty shocked how much of a difference it made

[@ansve007]

I like how you explain the difference in taste between the berries! I grew up eating the blueberries here in Sweden and in my opinion, since the American blueberry is less tart and also less familiar to me, it has almost a sort of perfumy, too sweet taste. No shade, but it can taste kinda like “fake” blueberries, like candy 😂 The Swedish blueberries is more refreshing and the flavor is less in your face. But that’s just me! Love the video, keep it up!

[@CynthiaPrice79]

I’ve actually had bilberries, surprisingly enough. Thanks for that goes to a pot luck I attended, to which someone brought a bunch, and about which said person informed me.

[@mateuszwzgarda3479]

Fun fact, those devices for picking the berries are illegal in Poland. Everything that is picked from the forest ground must be picked by hand, those devices are damaging the plants pretty much. People still use them though.

[@madonnafitzgerald7840]

You should make some gardenia tea or try some gardenia flowers by themselves. I grow gardenias, but I’ve never tried it, because I don’t get that many blooms and I don’t want to waste them. Some varieties also grow hips and you can buy dried ones on Amazon to make tea with, or just eat.

[@spakwi]

I live in Sweden and i didn't know Americans had a different name for Swedish blueberries "Bilberries" here we just call them blueberries.

[@Narnendil]

I fun to watch someone be fascinated by a standard blueberry forest (or apparently called billberry sometimes). Like, this is how most of the Nordic countries look like all over, just forests filled with berries, everywhere. From the very south to the very north.

[@NatureShy]

That’s how it looks like in the Pacific Northwest too, in North America. Carpets of huckleberries and bog blueberries. Huckleberries are tart and sweet, and bog blueberries are smaller, have a dusty blue coating, and very tart but not so sweet.

[@thegreenfather1978]

In french, bilberries (vaccinium myrtillus) are called... "myrtilles". I always assumed that "blueberry" was english for "myrtilles". No wonder I was kinda disappointed when I first got actual blueberries. Blueberries and called "bleuets", too (litterally "blue-ish", I think?). Today, I learned that blueberries exist, and the proper translation for "myrtilles".

[@Ipsifendis]

i love your videos. different "from", not different "than" :)

[@JohnsDrams]

My mum called them whimberries and we would normally have them in a pie. Strangely these were her favourite fruit.