Vigo County Historical Society

It’s berry time in the Wabash Valley: Strawberries from home gardens, markets and "pick your own" farms are finding their way into Hoosier cuisine. Black raspberry clusters show promise of swelling into bumper crops, as do the profusion of blackberry blooms whitening field edges and roadsides. After last summer’s searing heat and drought, which literally shriveled the wild berry harvest, this year’s bounty should seem extra sweet.

In a typical season, Vigo County is a virtual berry-lover’s Eden. Cultivated and wild berries suited to the local climate include strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, dewberries, gooseberries, loganberries, currants, elderberries, mulberries and probably others. After the long winter of West Coast and Central American fruit, often picked under-ripe and, by spring, nearing the end of palatable storage life, how satisfying it is to eat fruit that is truly fresh. A small sense of control over one’s life can result from the simple act of plucking berries from one’s own vines, control over methods of production and harvest, control over cost, and control over varieties. So many commercial fruits and vegetables are grown for storage and transportability, often at the expense of flavor. The home grower can grow and enjoy the most delicious varieties available.

Historically speaking, American berry traditions are as old as the hills. For generations, berries have been picked, eaten and preserved. A few entries from the 1870 diary of Almira MacDonald reveal the typical role of berries in Victorian food production.

June 20: I have a stiff neck and shoulder but have made ten pounds of strawberry jam.

July 6: I made ten quarts of black raspberries into jam today.

July 7: I made ten quarts of black raspberry jam, four pounds of currant jelly.

July 8: I canned five quarts of berries.

July 12: Made three and one-half quarts red raspberries and currants.

July 13: Ten quarts raspberries, two quarts currant juice, two jars cherries; pickled some.

This week’s treasure, silver berry spoon (or ladle) made by Rogers Brothers in 1847, is one of the older modern-day artifacts in the museum. Its pattern of grape clusters and vines was very popular during the late 18th and 19th centuries. The spoon, which is 8 1/2 inches long by 3 inches wide, was probably used to spoon stewed or fresh berries into dessert bowls, although little information about this particular type of utensil is available in local libraries.

The spoon was donated by Pauline D. Crookshank in 1972 and is on display in the museum. This week’s other "treasure," the berries, can be found along the roadsides and fields of the Wabash Valley.