2014 New Jersey blueberry festivals and farms to pick your own

Photo by Jim ClarkThe 100th birthday of New Jersey's official state fruit is two years away in 2016, but they've been celebrating since 2011 in Whitesbog Village, where the first cultivated blueberry was developed.

And during New Jersey's peak blueberry season in late June, blueberry lovers have at least two opportunities to join the celebration with blueberry festivals in Burlington and Atlantic counties, where most of the state's blueberries are grown.

This year's 31th annual Whitesbog Blueberry Festival will be held Saturday, June 28, running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 120 Whitesbog Road in Browns Mills. The historic village, which is on state and national registries of historic sites, is the setting for this country-style fair offering blueberry picking opportunities, a pie-eating contest, activities for kids, folk art, and tours offering a chance to visit the world’s oldest test fields for domesticated blueberries.

In addition to blueberry foods and fun, exhibits will explore blueberry history and how Elizabeth C. White collaborated with Frederick A. Coville of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to successfully develop the highbush blueberry there in 1916. It took them several years to come up with the winning berry, so the years-long celebration isn't really a stretch. White was the daughter of Joseph J. White, a cranberry farmer who founded Whitesbog.

Parking for the Whitesbog Blueberry Festival is $10.00 per car, regardless of the number of passengers. There is a per-person charge for those arriving on foot,  by bike, bus or other mode of transportation, typically around $5. Call (609) 893-4646 for more information.

Red, White and Blueberry Festival

The Pine Barrens region continues to be a major producer of blueberries and cranberries, with hundreds of acres of cranberry bogs and blueberry fields. New Jersey ranks fifth in the nation in blueberry production, according to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture. Atlantic and Burlington counties are top producers, accounting for 97 percent of the blueberry acres harvested statewide in 2012. The major varieties of blueberries grown here include Blue Crop and Duke, which was named for one of the founders of Atlantic Blueberry Company in Hammonton.

That's all the more reason to be in Hammonton, "Blueberry Capital of the World," on Sunday, June 29 for the Red, White and Blueberry Festival. At Hammonton High School, 566 Old Forks Road (just off Route 30), the festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., also with a pie-eating contest, live music and amusements.  Call (609) 561-9080 for more information.

For those who miss the festivals, New Jersey has numerous pick-your-own farms. To find one them as well as markets carrying Jersey Fresh blueberries, visit the Jersey Fresh website at JerseyFresh.NJ.gov. Another place to find New Jersey farms is VisitNJFarms.org.

Eat blueberries

Blueberries taste delicious and they are also counted among the best sources of antioxidants, helping to neutralize the harmful byproducts of metabolism known as "free radicals," associated with cancer and other diseases.

Visit Blueberry.org to find more information about blueberries and to get recipes for blueberry salads, drinks, desserts, snacks and more.