LACONIA, N.H.—Blueberry lovers: New Hampshire has a great crop for you this year.
A state Agriculture Department official says there are few disease problems and the plants are growing "lushly."
Many stands allow customers to pick their own berries for as little as $2 a pint.
The start of this season is "beautiful", said Joan Veroneau, an employee of Kent Locke's farm in Barnstead, which opened last week and has produced an abundance of berries. Last year, Locke's Farm was harvesting well into October.
Locke's, which was founded in the 1930s, delivers to a lot of local farms throughout the state and does business with supermarkets like Hannaford's.
Blueberry season is also a season for fundraisers. S&B Farms in Middleton sells boxes of fruit to New Beginnings Women's Crisis Center, which then resells them to raise money for their services.
Robert Larocque of Carter Hill Orchard in Concord says this season is as good as last year, but a little rain would help.
There are some challenges blueberry farms are facing.
"People aren't going out as much, with the price of gas and all," said Roger Proulx, the owner of Green Acres Farms. However, "Picking is excellent and easy; we have an ample amount of berries and it's a fun, family-oriented atmosphere.
The New Hampshire blueberry industry produces about $4 million annually. There are more than 3,000 acres of berry plants, which includes blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.
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Information from: Citizen, http://www.citizen.com
