[AT] Melting it all down.(copper is the new gold)

[Bob McNitt]

All this talk about blueberries (and huckleberries, i.e. low-bush 
blueberries) and they're being displaced by woodlands and brushlots reminded 
me of a newspaper piece I did years ago on that topic.

High-bush blueberry bushes have a fairly short ideal habitat growth span, 
flourishing in relatively open areas that were once pastures or fallow 
fields, but are gradually reverting back to woods. Once higher trees begin 
to dominate and block the sunlight, the bushes begin to disappear. That's 
also true of the ground-growing low-bush variety many of us call 
huckleberries.

Another berry that's becoming harder and harder to find in the wild is the 
gooseberry, for the same reason. When I was a kid we had several bushes 
growing along an old stonewall section in the middle of a pasture. Wide 
open, lots of sunlight and fairly dry and well-drained ground. I loved to 
pick the ripe berries (which have a prickly skin) and pop them between my 
teeth, forcing the sweet fruit contents out into my mouth. Now about the 
closest I get to that flavor is buying a jar of gooseberry jam made from 
domestic bushes/berries.

Same situation with wild strawberries -- these days you seldom find enough 
to make a decent shortcake.

Bob in NY