Great news this year for blueberry lovers in New Jersey

🔵 Blueberry picking season has arrived a bit early in New Jersey

🔵 NJ predicts 42 million pounds for its blueberry harvest

It’s that time of year to celebrate New Jersey’s state fruit: the blueberry!

The blueberry harvest season in New Jersey typically runs from mid-June to mid-August. But this year it started a bit earlier due to the weather, said Matt Macrie, farm manager of Macrie Brothers Blueberry Farm in Hammonton.

The farm has been in existence for 70 years. Macrie is the third generation of owners and operators, along with his cousins, Nick and Mike, and their dads, Paul, Nick, and Mike.

What kind of weather do blueberries thrive in?

A normal winter with average temperatures is ideal for keeping blueberry plants dormant, Macrie said. A drier spring, which is not easy to come by, is also what they need to thrive before heading into the warm summer months.

That being said, this year’s blueberry harvest looks very good in New Jersey, he said. It’s even better than last year because New Jersey experienced a much drier spring this year, he added.

“It was a litter on the cooler side. The pollination was good, we have good fruit and I think they’re predicting around 42 million pounds for New Jersey’s blueberry harvest,” Macrie said.

He believes that this year, depending on the weather during the summer, the state should have a fairly good crop.

What to look out for when picking blueberries?

Macrie said picking blueberries can be tricky because sometimes it might look blue on the top but it might have a red or a green back, which is not good. Make sure the berry has a nice white-blue top.

If you grab a cluster of berries and hit it with your thumb, they should roll right off the plant. That’s how you know they are ripe, he said.

“You really pick with your thumbs. You really are just rolling that berry off in your bushel basket when you pick,” Macrie said.

How do you store freshly-picked berries?

Macrie said if you’re going to eat freshly-picked berries within a few days, simply stick them in the refrigerator, then wash them when you’re ready to eat them.

If you’re going to freeze the berries, he said to freeze them right in their plastic clamshell containers. He said they come out perfectly hard, ready to be thawed.

What is Macrie’s encouragement?

Shop local and shop Jersey Fresh. That is Macrie’s message to residents.

“The blueberry industry here in New Jersey is doing very well thanks to all the local support from all the towns and cities that buy local and buy fresh. Being a part of Jersey Fresh is really big and we try to push that as far as we can,” Macrie said.

Macrie Brothers Blueberry Farm is one farm to go blueberry picking this season in New Jersey. It has 700 acres of blueberries and should have about 5 million pounds of berries ready to be picked this season.

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