PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Maine will celebrate its wild blueberry crop with a new weekend of events in early August.
Maine is home to the only commercial-scale wild blueberry producers in the U.S., and the wild blueberry is the official state berry. Gov. Janet Mills said Friday the first annual Wild Blueberry Weekend will take place on Aug. 7 and 8.
The weekend will include farm tours at 15 wild blueberry farms in the state. The farms are located in Franklin, Hancock, Kennebec, Knox, Piscataquis, and Washington counties, state officials said.
The weekend will also bring wild blueberry menu items and products to dozens of restaurants, breweries, ice cream shops and other locations around the state.
The wild blueberry harvest takes place in late summer every year. The industry struggled with frost, drought and labor problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic last year.
Farmers produced 47.4 million pounds of Maine wild blueberries last year. That was the lowest number since 2004.
