History of Blueberries

https://blueberry.org/about-blueberries

Blueberries, native to North America, have been part of life here for 13,000 years. The first highbush blueberry bush was successfully cultivated for commercial production in the early 1900s, and today, we grow nearly 1 billion pounds of blueberries in North America each year.

1893- Elizabeth White sees the potential in blueberries as a crop. After years of harvesting cranberries on her family’s farm, she was ready for a boost of blue.

1908- Frederick Coville begins experimenting with wild blueberries. A USDA botanist, he was determined to find the right plants to cultivate.

1911- Elizabeth White and Frederick Coville become partners. After reading Coville’s “Experiments in Blueberries,” White invited him to work together on her family farm.

1912- White and Coville’s first successful field plantings crop up. Despite what local farmers told a determined White, blueberries could be cultivated!

1916- The team harvests and sells its first commercial crop of highbush blueberries. Kitchens across the nation were about to get a lot more colorful.

1932- New Jersey awards Elizabeth White for her “outstanding contributions to agriculture.” Our earliest industry leader gets her due from the state where it all started.

1942-62- 200,000+ blueberry seedlings spread across 13 states. In mid-century America, people found their thrill … in the Blueberry Hill cookbook, published in 1959 with a Blueberry Buckle recipe still popular today.

1974- The USDA proclaims July as National Blueberry Month. It’s the peak of the North American blueberry harvest, aka the most delicious month of the year.

1979- Blueberry Hill began. Bushes were planted by Austin

1984- Blueberry Hill opened for picking

1990s- Blueberry production reaches 100 million pounds a year. White and Coville knew they were onto something – and they were right.

2000-Present- An array of scientific research increasingly ties blueberries to health benefits. We continue to learn more every year, with a recent focus on cardiovascular health, brain health, insulin response and gut health.

2001- Rick and Sherry Miller take ownership of Blueberry Hill.

2019- Blueberries are certified as heart-healthy by the American Heart Association®. The Heart-Check Food Certification Program helps shoppers identify heart-healthy foods that can be part of a sensible eating plan.

2020- The blueberry emoji debuts on smartphones around the world. Much like the berry itself, the emoji is small, blue, and should be enjoyed daily.

2021- Ginger ‘n’ Spice Bubbling Blueberry Pie becomes the official pie of the blueberry industry. Blueberry fans across the nation vie for the title in The America’s Best Blueberry Pie Contest, but there can only be one blue-ribbon boost of blue.