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A 'berry' good time: Blueberry season arrives in North Carolina

Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries -- oh my! As the weather gets warmer, that means more fruits are coming into season in North Carolina.

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By
Sydney Franklin
, WRAL multiplatform producer
ANGIER, N.C. — Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries -- oh my! As the weather gets warmer, that means more fruits are coming into season in North Carolina.

For most farmers in the state, blueberry season begins in mid- to late June. So, if you're hoping to branch out and try picking out your own blueberries - now is the time to start visiting farms near you.

According to North Carolina State University's Cooperative Extension, the state ranks sixth for blueberry production and grows nearly 40 million pounds a year.

"I think there's a blueberry patch in every county," said Bill Cline, a blueberry specialist for N.C. State's Cooperative Extension.

Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries -- oh my! As the weather gets warmer, that means more fruits are coming into season in North Carolina.

Cline said that the type of soil in the state is ideal for growing blueberries.

"It's a soil that never gets dry ... that's what blueberries really like," he added. "It's a really big fresh fruit crop for the state, and at times, it's the biggest fresh fruit crop in the state."

During his career, Cline says the popularity of blueberries has grown leaps and bounds.

"As we learn more about the health benefits of fruits and vegetables that are high in antioxidants – and it turns out blueberries are really high in antioxidant capacity, there's been a surge of production around the world … [we're] getting the impact of that industry as a whole in North Carolina," he said.

While the state's weather this year will impact harvests across the state, N.C. Agritoursim Networking Association President Lee Rankin said it hasn't slowed farmers down.

"My understanding is a lot of the berry farms have less of a harvest this year, but the thing is, agritourism farms -- they're so adaptable," said Rankin.

Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries -- oh my! As the weather gets warmer, that means more fruits are coming into season in North Carolina.

Instead of relying on pick-your-own plots to sustain them, farmers are getting creative.

"They're making things with the fruit. We have a farm that is doing blueberry donuts and they're doing blueberry shakes," said Rankin. "It just adds one more thing that people can come to the farm to buy."

"They just seem to roll with the punches and find new ways to do things," she added.

In addition to unpredictable weather that's a mainstay in North Carolina, farmers have also had to adjust during the coronavirus pandemic.

"Last year, strawberry growers were the ones that were out front and center when everybody was in quarantine, so people were looking for something they could do that was outside and so, they went to strawberry farms," said Rankin.

From there, Rankin said farmers navigated safely doing pick-your-own and added curbside pickup.

Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries -- oh my! As the weather gets warmer, that means more fruits are coming into season in North Carolina.

"They navigated it very well," said Rankin. "They're adaptable and rose to the occasion."

"I think that all of us having been through COVID really appreciate the outdoor experiences more than we ever have before," said Rankin. "I think all of us who have yards have done more gardening, so farming is even closer to us than it's ever been, in that way."

In addition to WRAL's Go Ask Mom Pick-Your-Own database, another way to find farms is the Visit NC Farms app, developed by the state's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

"You can download that app to find farms that are closet to you," explained Victoria Patterson, the app's lead administrator. "There's 75 blueberry farms, where you can go across the state to pick."

"We have a new feature on the app that is an itinerary and trip feature, so you can either make your own trip if you want to explore or [if] you're going to be traveling across the state, you can make your own trip, or you can also follow a trip that made by a local-level administrator. So, there's some trips that are already programmed in there," added Patterson.

With agriculture being the state's number one industry - with an impact of $93 billion on the economy - Patterson encourages people to consider buying from local farms.

"It's definitely a learning opportunity for people that visit farms, and also a great way for farmers to get to tell their stories and show people what they do," said Patterson.

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