New Jersey saw a normal start time for its blueberry season this year. "We were very early last year when we started on June 2," says Chelsea Consalo of Consalo Family Farms, adding that this follows good pollination for New Jersey blueberries–something that was a bit of a challenge for growers in the state in 2024. With this year's harvest beginning June 9th, it's estimated that the company's supply will go until mid-July.
Meanwhile, this week's heat wave, which has sent temperatures above 100°F, is temporarily affecting the supply of blueberries from New Jersey. "It's been the biggest challenge to deal with," says Consalo. "We're hoping that by the end of the week that it will cool off and get back to normal production here."
Labor concerns
This comes at a time when there are concerns already for accessing labor in New Jersey. "We have less labor than we have had in years past, as other growers in the area have said as well. It doesn't seem to be affecting us in terms of getting things harvested, however. We seem to be keeping up," says Consalo.
Along with being a concern for those in the fields picking the fruit, the heat can also affect the firmness of the fruit, which is hand-harvested. It can also get the fruit to ripen quicker. Given New Jersey has a short blueberry season, growers don't want fruit to ripen quicker because they are going from field to field.
Varietal notes
In New Jersey, the primary blueberry variety is Duke, and it takes approximately seven to 10 days to do the first pick of Duke. Bluecrop is also a predominant variety of blueberry in New Jersey as well and picking might switch to this variety following a first pick of Duke. "We're also doing a lot of new varieties here and we're dealing with the timing of getting into those fields as well," says Consalo.
Demand is very, very strong and keeping up with it in the face of the temporary heat can be challenging at times.
Looking ahead, the supply from New Jersey will hit a promotable window for the 4th of July. While some promotions take place at the start of the season, more retail promotions take place for the 4th of July.
While Consalo Farms ships blueberries year-round, right now product is just coming from New Jersey following Georgia and North Carolina's blueberry seasons. Next up will be Washington and British Columbia, Canada, though those regions aren't anticipated to start until likely July 6-10.
For more information:
Chelsea Consalo
Consalo Family Farms
Tel: +1 (856) 839-0264
[email protected]
www.consalofamilyfarms.com