The harvest of New Jersey blueberries is getting underway. "We're just getting started now but some of the areas south of here have been going for a week," says Tim Haines of Haines Berry Farm in Pemberton Township, New Jersey.
This is a slightly earlier start to the season by a week and New Jersey will be in production for about six to eight weeks. "On volume, the crop looks very similar to last year's crop except this year the quality is much better," says Haines, noting that the cool nights in the region help the berries firm up during the growing period. "It hasn't been too hot and we've not had a lot of rain–those are the two big factors why the quality is excellent this year."
July 4th and other regions
Demand for New Jersey blueberries is expected to be good though Haines notes that competing blueberry-producing regions such as Michigan and the Pacific Northwest tend to come in as heavier competition after the July 4th holiday.
That puts pressure on pre-holiday weekend New Jersey blueberry sales. "Last year we started with decent pricing and it dropped off around July 4th so hopefully we don't get that drop this year," says Haines.
For more information:
Tim Haines
Haines Berry Farm
Tel: +1 (609) 894-8630
[email protected]
https://www.hainesberryfarm.com/