Maine’s Wild Blueberry Weekend heralds its fourth consecutive year and scheduled for August 3-4. Organized by the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine, the weekend puts the wild blueberry, Maine’s native and iconic fruit, and the people who care for and harvest this special crop on center stage.

Residents and visitors are invited to celebrate and learn more about the state’s native berry by exploring multiple Maine wild blueberry farms that are open for free to the public in Lincoln, Kennebec, Knox, Penobscot, and Washington counties.

Over the last four years, Wild Blueberry Weekend has become a popular annual tradition with locals and visitors and has helped to boost direct, fresh wild blueberry sales for participating Maine farmers.

The Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine estimates that 7,533 individuals visited one or more of the 16 participating farms spending $64,965 over the two day period in 2023. Visitors then and now can tour farms, rake wild blueberries, meet their farmer, take in scenic wild blueberry vistas, and of course purchase fresh wild blueberries and other wild blueberry products like jams, pies and syrups. 

“Maine’s wild blueberry crop has been an integral part of our state’s agricultural heritage for generations. Most farms are family owned and have been passed down from generation to generation for years,” said Eric Venturini, Executive Director of the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine, in a news release. “Wild Blueberry Weekend promotes and celebrates our state’s iconic fruit and helps to educate visitors about Maine’s important wild blueberry industry while also providing economic opportunity to our hard-working Maine farmers that harvest this wild crop.” 

During Wild Blueberry Weekend, participating wild blueberry farmers will be selling their delicious fruit directly to consumers, as well as hosting farm tours and other activities designed to show visitors firsthand why the Maine wild blueberry is superior to ordinary, cultivated blueberries, especially when it comes to flavor, health, and heritage. Event goers can enjoy the weekend at a participating farm, and at a wide range of Maine businesses that will offer wild blueberry food and beverages and themed events. 

To learn more about Wild Blueberry Weekend, visit wildblueberryweekend.com. 

About Maine’s Wild Blueberries

• Wild blueberries are a wild, place-based food. Through a happy convergence of geography, climate and cultural tradition, Maine is the only state in the U.S. with significant commercial production of this wild crop. 
• Wild blueberries have the highest antioxidant capacity per serving compared with 20 other fruits tested by the USDA. 
• Wild blueberry consumption is linked to brain health. Growing evidence suggests that eating wild blueberries daily may be a practical and effective part of a brain-healthy diet.
• Unlike ordinary blueberries, wild blueberries are not planted. Instead, they are indigenous (1 of 3 native North American fruits) and spread naturally where mother nature put them more than 10,000 years ago. 
• Wild blueberries have never been hybridized or genetically modified to enhance or alter their naturally occurring characteristics. 
• Wild blueberries are a genetically diverse crop. Each acre has on average 100 different naturally occurring varieties. 
• Wild blueberries were first managed as a wild crop by the Wabanaki, who still manage thousands of acres today. 
• The wild blueberry is designated as the official Maine berry, and the wild blueberry pie is the State of Maine’s official state dessert.