| blueberries |
Celebrate Georgia
Blueberry Month
by Adelia Ladson
Folks, I don’ t know about y’ all but I think blueberries are darn near the most perfect fruit. They are full of antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin K and low in calories. They’ ve been labeled a“ superfood” and some research has found them to be beneficial in maintaining memory function, promoting heart health and preventing Type 2 Diabetes. That being said, for me, the bottom-line is that they plain just taste good.
You pop one in your mouth and bite into it and there’ s an explosion of sweetness with just a hint of tart, balancing the sweetness. To me, a blueberry tastes like summer and the Fourth of July and is better than any candy, especially, chocolate. I know, I know. Blasphemy.
So, we’ re pretty blessed to live in a state that is third in the U. S. for growing blueberries. According to our UGA Extension Coordinator Jeremy Kichler, in his article in our May edition of Moultrie Scene, in 2023, the farm gate value of blueberries in Georgia was more than $ 526 million.
Recognizing the importance of Georgia’ s blueberry industry, former Gov. Nathan Deal declared June as Georgia Blueberry Month in 2012.
Every year the first weekend in June, the City of Alma holds the Georgia Blueberry Festival, which is in its 51st year. Bacon County, where Alma is located, has more than 8,000 acres of blueberries.
But as some of you might know already, you don’ t have to go very far to get fresh, tasty blueberries, right of the bush, that you picked yourself. There
Photo by Bozhin Karaivanov on Unsplash
50 MoultrieScene JUNE 2025