June 26, 2016

Blueberries

First – Happy Birthday Lori!

This morning we drove west about 25 minutes to the center of New Jersey to Whitesbog.  Most people know that cranberries are grown and harvested in bogs.  Wild blueberry bushes seem to thrive along the edges of these bogs.  Wild blueberries are usually pretty small and may lack in the taste one usually thinks of with blueberries.  Whitesbog was the home/farm of a farmer who raised cranberries.  His daughter, Elizabeth White believed that blueberries could be developed into a commercially viable agriculture product.  She and a USDA botanist spent years identifying wild plants with the most desirable properties and crossbreeding to develop a number of new varieties of blueberry.  The first commercial crop of blueberries was harvested and sold out of Whitesbog in 1916.  This is the 100 year anniversary of the blueberry we know today.  For the last 33 years Whitesbog has had a festival.  Down home crafts, music, food, entertainment, hay rides, history, ice cream, and Blueberries! Small town big fun.

Yum

The best type of pie for pie eating contest

 

Either too many or not enough blueberries.