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Rain accentuates blueberry flavor at start of harvest

A blueberry grower says timely June rains have made Michigan’s crop extremely flavorful this year.

“All that rain has really made that flavor experience that much better.  In Michigan, we’re known for that flavor and that quality, and this year is really exceptional.”

Shelly Hartmann with True Blue Farms in Grand Junction tells Brownfield Michigan’s season was on track for a record production year after a mild winter, but a May freeze and poor pollination caused some production losses.

She says more ideal growing conditions later in the season has increased harvest expectations, weather depending.  “Even if it just rains for a couple of hours, it really kind of messes everything up in the field because for fresh you don’t want to pick wet berries, and even for processed you can’t pick in the rain.  It causes the berries to have poor quality.”  More rain is in the forecast this week for Southwest Michigan.

Hartmann says harvest on her farm started the last week of June and will run through Labor Day Weekend.

AUDIO: Interview with Shelly Hartmann