Local Blueberries

Bluberry Season Update, July 12: We've received word from our blueberry farm that the season is ending sooner than planned due to Spotted Wing Drisophila getting into our blueberries. Also known as the small fruit fly, they are beginning to migrate farther north due to climate change and unfortunately they found their way into our organic blueberry fields.

With organic farming it's an additonal challenge to find effective pest control methods that don't cause any harm to the surrounding environment. Our farmers are looking into grants to get high-tunnels that can exclude fruit flies and we'll keep exploring other ways to keep our berries safe!

We look forward to offering blueberries again next season!

Meet the Berry Farmers

Founded by Joyce Ford and Jim Riddle in 2008, the land on which our berries grow has been organic since 1975!

Ben and Natalie McAvoy recently took over the helm as new owners in 2023 and are committed to maintaining the same high standards established by Jim and Joyce that go above and beyond organic requirements.

Ben and Natalie's daugther has even assumed the role of Chief Berry Tester!

About the Farm

Our blueberries are grown in Southeastern Minnesota. The 5-acre farm overlooks a stunning microclimate known as Wiscoy Valley, surrounded by forest and native prairie. This diversity fosters a bountiful population of busy pollinators.

Ben & Natalie strive every day to employ practices which build soil organic matter, prevent erosion, and protect the beautiful surrounding ecosystem.

Harvesting Blueberries

Blueberries can be tricky when it comes to harvesting timeliness!

With over a dozen varieties that ripen at different times throughout the season and each plant having berries that ripen on their own schedules, berry harvesting occurs on an ongoing basis.

Berries are picked by hand to ensure desired ripeness, and are then run through a vacuum berry cleaner to clean off any debris.

Berries that are past their prime are put to use in delicious berry jam!

Sustainable Pest Management

Berries as good as ours get a lot of attention! As organic farmers we face additional challenges with protecting our berries from pests while also ensuring that we protect the surrounding environment and help native species thrive.

We keep deer, rabbits, racoons, birds and other animals out of the berries using safe methods that don't harm the surrounding environment.

From tall fences that keep deer out, protective bird netting, recorded raptor calls and even state-of-the-art, bird-safe solar laser lights (!), our farmers have gotten pretty creative to ensure our berries are kept safe without causing any harm to our animal neighbors!

2024 Season Update: This season's blueberry harvest was cut short due to an issue with Spotted Wing Drisophila. With climate change small fruit flies are migrating further north. Unfortunately this year they found our berry fields and we won't be able to harvest more berries. We will explore ways to prevent them from getting into our fields in the future (including grants that provide high tunnels to keep flies out!).

Thanks to all of our members who ordered produce the last few weeks, we hope you enjoyed the blueberries while they were available!