The other day I saw in the supermarket a container for “Organic Wild Blueberries”. What does this mean? I was under the assumption that if something is wild, it can’t be organically grown and visa versa.
Wouldn’t all wild food be organicly grown, by definition? If it’s wild, it hasn’t been interferred with by humans.
I’d say, the label is redundant, but not inaccurate.
Perhaps “wild” refers to a very recently cultivated strain, and not a strain that has been hybridized and had its genetic makeup altered from its natural state by forced pollination over tens or hundreds of years by humans.
Organic has specific qualifications now. I would think wild organic to mean it’s not a domesticated variety, but comes from a location that meets the terms for organic under the FDA rules. Wild varieties may grow were pesticides have been used, so there’s one condition wrecks your conclusion that all wild plants qualify for the FDA organic label.
I think you have the adjective in the wrong place in your brain. It’s not a blueberry grown wild, it’s a wild blueberry, grown (farmed) organically. “Wild Blueberries” usually refers to the size and perhaps varietal of the berry, not the location grown. Wild Blueberries are teeny tiny blueberries that one can find canned in “Wild Blueberry Muffin Mix”, and they’re in no way organic or wild grown.
“Wild” is not, as far as I know, a USDA term like “free-range” or even “natural”.
If your dog was getting antibiotics and went out and peed in the wild blueberry patch, the fruit might no longer be considered “organically grown”.
I suspect the label mentioned in the OP is overkill meant to impress gullible consumers. Pretty soon they will be selling “Organic Wild 100% Natural Blueberries, No Preservatives or Fillers, Guaranteed Cholesterol-Free and Carbon-Neutral”.
I’m guessing that you are correct. I would only add that “wild” may refer to the fact that very little or no maintenance (fertilizing, pest management, etc.) is required for blueberries, as opposed to other fruits and berries.
Just a note: The smaller blueberries are produced by the Lowbush Blueberry plant (Vaccinium angustifolium); plants are usually found on uplands and rarely get over two feet tall. Larger blueberries are produced by the Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum); these typically grow at lower elevations, can be a wetland indicator plant and can grow taller than a person. In my opinion, the Highbush Blueberries are pretty to look at, and not much more. The Lowbush Blueberries are where it’s at.
You haven’t picked wild blueberries on the Olympic Peninsula, I take it. I’ve picked them just outside the rain forest. They are bigger and sweeter than the ones from the grocery store, or even the fruit stands.
They are native to the area. The area isn’t near cultivation, so incidental chemicals seem unlikely, but they may not conform to USDA regulations for organic.
I can find more wild blueberries around here than I can pick. I don’t pick them because their way to small to bother. Count yourself lucky to have exceptional conditions to grow them. It would be interesting to try a few domesticated ones there and see how big they can grow.
I picked so many, I sensitized myself. Now I can’t pick or eat them, if I want to live… :smack: 
If you ever take a trip up here, I’ll show you my secret grove. 