SPARKLEBERRY, FARKLEBERRY, HUCKLEBERRY, NATIVE BLUEBERRY

I have been harvesting Sparkleberries in the early morning and evening trying to avoid the heat. Just in the last week they have become ready for harvesting.  While they are just a little bitter for eating right out of the hand they are excellent for baking. My husband loves the Sparkleberry muffins.  I also make a Sparkleberry Jam that is yummy. 

When we were clearing out a place for us here in the woods I researched all the trees and plants to make sure I was not taking down any native plants in extinction and to know if any produced food. I was very happy to find that our property is covered in Sparkleberry bushes with some of them being small trees. They are a member of the Blueberry family and feed birds and many other wildlife. My chickens love them also. We have deer that travel a path everyday day snacking on the Sparkleberry trees. My goats love them. I even fed  some to the rabbits as a treat and they get excited when I give them a handful. Our three acres is covered in these bushes. Many people cut down this food source when they move here not knowing what the plant is. The native Indians made pipes out of the smaller trunks. Here are a couple of links if you wish to learn more about this plant.

http://hernando.fnpschapters.org/plants/sparkleberry.htm

http://www.floridata.com/ref/v/vacc_arb.cfm

http://volusia.org/arboretum/Shrubs/sparkleberry.htm