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The History Of Blueberries
In this episode of Sprung On Food, host Kae Sprung welcomes actor, writer, creative, executive, and co-founder of Friend or Flame, Josiah Blount to discuss the history of blueberries. The episode traces blueberry history from Indigenous North American traditions, where “star berries” were food, medicine, and cultural symbols for thousands of years, to the early 1900s domestication work of Elizabeth Coleman White and USDA botanist Frederick Coville, whose research on acidic soil, cross-pollination, and propagation led to the first commercial highbush harvest in 1916.
It follows blueberries’ global spread, “superfood” research on anthocyanins, and modern issues like nutrient variation, flavor vs. appearance, and climate pressures, then closes with pop-culture references, Guinness records, and National Blueberry Day.
You can follow and support this week's guest, Josiah Blount here:
https://www.instagram.com/josiah.blount https://www.instagram.com/friendorflame
See behind the scenes photos and video here: http://instagram.com/sprungonfood
Check back for new episodes, and make sure to also subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@iamsprung
You can also learn more and follow Kae Sprung here:
Website: http://katherinesprung.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamsprung
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iamsprung
Looking for half off your first 2 months to help make your own podcast? I recommend Riverside and Descript. You can find links below to sign up*:
Riverside: https://riverside.cello.so/kbhJQ48RO1S
Descript: descript.cello.so/4oB9cH6HfXH
About the show:
Sprung On Food is a digital and podcast series, hosted by Katherine "Kae" Sprung, an award-winning pastry chef and food and media entrepreneur. This season, we're talking about favorite foods- the history behind them and the role they play in the world today. Each episode features a special guest to talk about their favorite food, and help comment on the historical origins and pop-cultural and modern society moments tied to that food. Its food history meets food pop-culture, a dose of education, with sprinkles of comedy.
*Please note that I'm an affiliate and might receive a commission from the links. If you plan on signing up for either app, please consider using the link to help support a fellow creator!
00:00 Blueberry Episode Kickoff
00:54 Why Josiah Loves Them
04:37 Blueberry Origin Story
06:57 Star Berry Debate
08:19 From Foraging to Farming
09:09 Hidden Gems Detour
11:52 Domestication Duo
14:02 Soil Science and Setbacks
14:37 Grasshopper Experiment Confession
17:53 Blueberry Breakthrough
19:39 Creative Persistence
22:17 Blueberries Go Global
24:11 Superfood Science
26:08 Flavor Versus Shelf Life
30:08 Industry Today And Tomorrow
31:45 Backstory Reflections
33:53 Pop Culture And Records
38:01 Final Thanks And Wrap
View all episodes
By Katherine SprungIn this episode of Sprung On Food, host Kae Sprung welcomes actor, writer, creative, executive, and co-founder of Friend or Flame, Josiah Blount to discuss the history of blueberries. The episode traces blueberry history from Indigenous North American traditions, where “star berries” were food, medicine, and cultural symbols for thousands of years, to the early 1900s domestication work of Elizabeth Coleman White and USDA botanist Frederick Coville, whose research on acidic soil, cross-pollination, and propagation led to the first commercial highbush harvest in 1916.
It follows blueberries’ global spread, “superfood” research on anthocyanins, and modern issues like nutrient variation, flavor vs. appearance, and climate pressures, then closes with pop-culture references, Guinness records, and National Blueberry Day.
You can follow and support this week's guest, Josiah Blount here:
https://www.instagram.com/josiah.blount https://www.instagram.com/friendorflame
See behind the scenes photos and video here: http://instagram.com/sprungonfood
Check back for new episodes, and make sure to also subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@iamsprung
You can also learn more and follow Kae Sprung here:
Website: http://katherinesprung.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamsprung
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iamsprung
Looking for half off your first 2 months to help make your own podcast? I recommend Riverside and Descript. You can find links below to sign up*:
Riverside: https://riverside.cello.so/kbhJQ48RO1S
Descript: descript.cello.so/4oB9cH6HfXH
About the show:
Sprung On Food is a digital and podcast series, hosted by Katherine "Kae" Sprung, an award-winning pastry chef and food and media entrepreneur. This season, we're talking about favorite foods- the history behind them and the role they play in the world today. Each episode features a special guest to talk about their favorite food, and help comment on the historical origins and pop-cultural and modern society moments tied to that food. Its food history meets food pop-culture, a dose of education, with sprinkles of comedy.
*Please note that I'm an affiliate and might receive a commission from the links. If you plan on signing up for either app, please consider using the link to help support a fellow creator!
00:00 Blueberry Episode Kickoff
00:54 Why Josiah Loves Them
04:37 Blueberry Origin Story
06:57 Star Berry Debate
08:19 From Foraging to Farming
09:09 Hidden Gems Detour
11:52 Domestication Duo
14:02 Soil Science and Setbacks
14:37 Grasshopper Experiment Confession
17:53 Blueberry Breakthrough
19:39 Creative Persistence
22:17 Blueberries Go Global
24:11 Superfood Science
26:08 Flavor Versus Shelf Life
30:08 Industry Today And Tomorrow
31:45 Backstory Reflections
33:53 Pop Culture And Records
38:01 Final Thanks And Wrap