According to Halacha, does the prohibition of Orlah apply to blueberries? Or is it not considered a fruit from a tree in Halacha and therefore that law doesn’t apply?
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1Most blueberry bushes today are considered trees in Halacha and are both haetz and have orlah. Practically however, the blueberry bush doesn’t give fruit the first three years (I know this from experience as well)– ChatzkelCommented Mar 7 at 5:16
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@Chatzkel I think that was the conclusion we came to also which is why we didn't bother planting them.– The GRAPKECommented Mar 7 at 7:10
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@Chatzkel orlah can still be relevant if you transplant the bush somewhere else– HeshyCommented Mar 7 at 10:52
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@Chatzkel things might be different in Israel, possibly because of the heat, see my answer below– mblochCommented Mar 7 at 11:25
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1 Answer
The Institute for Torah and the Land of Israel studies this sort of issues, they have an interesting writeup and conclude orlah applies to blueberries (but read the full writeup which is quite interesting)
Blueberry bushes are defined halachically as trees, not vegetables. In light of this, three years of orlah need to be counted until it is possible to enjoy the fruit.
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The blueberry is the most problematic fruit vis-à-vis the orlah prohibition in Israel today (5782). One-third of the fruit, sold without kashrut certification, is orlah fruit and is thus forbidden to eat. For this reason, one may only purchase blueberries that have kashrut certification on the box or from stores with kashrut certification.