What is it about the small fruits of field and wood that encourages rapture? These gifts of the earth – flagrant in hedgerows, carpeting the forest floor or colouring the uplands – are so ubiquitous as to be commonplace and so extraordinary that we have woven them into our folklore, fables and art. Strawberries, brambles, blueberries and raspberries were painted in the frescoes of Pompeii, twined into the borders of medieval miniatures and embroidered on silks and linens. Today the huge demand for these nutrient-rich fruits is pushing berry cultivation into new territories, from South America to Scandinavia, and changing the nature of our relationship with these much-loved fruits.
In this delightful, surprising and occasionally juicy exploration, Victoria Dickenson traces the humble berry’s journey across cultures and through centuries with humour and passion.
Victoria Dickenson is a historian and curator based in Montreal, Canada. She is the author of Drawn from Life: Science and Art in the Portrayal of the New World (1998), Rabbit (Reaktion Books, 2013) and Seal (Reaktion Books, 2015).
Preface
1 Berries True and False
2 Berries in Mind
3 Berries in the Hand
4 Garden Varieties
5 Preserving the Harvest
6 The Global Berry
Timeline
References
Bibliography
Associations and Websites
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index