Sharon Ledwith: I came. I saw. I wrote.: Blueberries—The Favorite Fruit of Fairy Falls…

Monday, 5 August 2019

Blueberries—The Favorite Fruit of Fairy Falls…

Blueberry bushes can be a tad tricky to find in Fairy Falls. Normally, when you want to seek out this delectable blue fruit, all you need to do is take a walk along any trail or on the edge of rock outcropping and shorelines where enough sun reaches the forest and you’re bound to find the lowbush blueberry plant, with glossy, green canoe-shaped leaves hugging the ground. Roadside ditches are another common blueberry hideout because of the ideal combination of moisture and sunlight. And, of course, there is that odd field along the back road, lush with fruit.

So, where are they?

Gertie Ellis will never tell. Neither will Hart Stewart. And most of the residents of Fairy Falls are keeping mum. One can only imagine some incredible untapped stores deep in the wilderness, favored by black bears and birds.

The one thing the locals of Fairy Falls will share with the tourists is the amazing health benefits of their wild blueberries. Known as the most anti-oxidant of all fruit, wild blueberries are indeed a superfood that are low in calories, but high in nutrients. From brain-boosting to disease-fighting, downing a handful of these little fruitful treasures is like having a natural pharmacy in your mouth. This information alone sells many pints and quarts of blueberries at the Fairy Falls’ Farmers Market. Gertie Ellis with attest to that.

All Fairy Falls’ wild blueberries are hand-harvested using rakes to scoop berries off the bushes, working in an upward motion. These rakes are specifically engineered for wild blueberry harvest. Typically, the harvest begins in late July and ends in early September. However, the quality of the blueberries often depends on Mother Nature. If they’ve had too much rain the berries will grow soft and split; not enough rain and they’ll be small and grainy. There are no guarantees in this business, but the residents of Fairy Falls are always hopeful for a good harvest. They know that a fairly traditional winter, enough moisture throughout the spring and just enough sunshine will yield a bumper crop of wild blueberries that will keep tourists coming back to their small, northern town year after year.

The market for wild blueberries shows no signs of anything but growth. As healthy lifestyles grow in popularity around the world, blueberries have traveled from the pastry shop window into the health food store. The fact they are one of the healthiest foods one can eat is quite clearly only the icing on the triple-layer blueberry cake. So take some time to celebrate this delicious, nutritional fruit—a gift that gives all year long!

Here's a morsel from Blackflies and Blueberries, the second installment of Mysterious Tales from Falls teen psychic mystery series…

The only witness left to testify against an unsolved crime in Fairy Falls isn’t a person…

City born and bred, Hart Stewart possesses the gift of psychometry—the psychic ability to discover facts about an event or person by touching inanimate objects associated with them. Since his mother’s death, seventeen-year-old Hart has endured homelessness, and has learned ways to keep his illiteracy under wraps. He eventually learns of a great-aunt living in Fairy Falls, and decides to leave the only life he’s ever known for an uncertain future.

Diana MacGregor lives in Fairy Falls. Her mother was a victim of a senseless murder. Only Diana’s unanswered questions and her grief keeps her going, until Hart finds her mother’s lost ring and becomes a witness to her murder.

Through Hart’s psychic power, Diana gains hope for justice. Their investigation leads them into the corrupt world threatening Fairy Falls. To secure the town’s future, Hart and Diana must join forces to uncover the shocking truth, or they risk losing the true essence of Fairy Falls forever.

Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls Teen Psychic Mystery Series:

Lost and Found, Book One Buy Links: