Ah, to be in southern NJ again so that I may visit each of these farms. Thank you for the insightful article on the history of blueberry cultivation and the highlight on small farms that continue to cultivate heirloom varieties. John McPhee’s Pine Barrens profiles some of the residents of the area in the 1960’s that wanted their living from the blueberry harvest. I wonder if some of these families were also mentioned in the book, I’ll have to reread!
I am from New Jersey and I love going to farmers markets and local fruit stands. It is so great to see how many small, old fashioned farms there still are. I cant believe how the blueberry dates back to the early 1900s and how until Elizabeth White, they were just an indigenous American fruit. I also think it interesting how all blue berries used to be called huckleberries and the first order of business of the Tru-Blu Cooperative Association was to just get people to start calling them “blueberries”. In addition to that, I had no idea how many varieties of blueberries there are! I only thought there was one kind, the kind I find at my grocery store, but there are Elizabeths, Stanleys, Weymouths, Berkleys, Blue Crops, Jerseys, and Rancoas. Not to mention, botanically speaking, there are three different types of blueberries, high bush, low bush, and rabbiteye. I never thought I could learn so much about blueberries, but this article was very informative and has me wanting to go blueberry picking right now.
It’s great to see so many certified organic small blueberry Jersey farms on your list in the related article, even if this article doesn’t mention that such farms exist and are worth visiting in the region. Thank you.
It’s great to hear that Stevens and the smaller farmers at least hope to go pesticide-free. The problem with eating blueberries for health is their significant absorption of pesticides. So it’s best to go organic with them (but this is expensive) or to avoid them.
It’s great to hear that Stevens and the smaller farmers at least hope to go pesticide-free. The problem with eating blueberries for health is their significant absorption of pesticides. So it’s best to go organic with them (but this is expensive) it avoid them.
Not to be a snob, but wild blueberries are infinitely superior to cultivated. I'd rather eat frozen wild berries than fresh cultivated ones. Just made a crisp from them, and it was off the charts great.
Thank you for this wonderful article. It brings back many memories. Originally from South Jersey, I still remember summer trips to Long Beach Island. On the way, we would pull over on Route 38 and pick blueberries. To this day, I am still a "blueberry snob - they have to be from Hammonton.
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Blueberries are the best! I urge everyone to support small local farms and enjoy the best the summer season has to offer.
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Thank you so much for doing this wonderful article. Small farmers go underappreciated so often. I was so pleased to learn that it was a WOMAN, Elizabeth Coleman White, who did the ground work to establish the commercial blueberry industry here in NJ. She deserves a statue!!!
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