North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Ginda Fisher <list@ginda.us>]

California blueberry industry has gotten started, and is growing:

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-blueberry27-2009may27,0,2427264.story

"As recently as 1997, California grew only 196 acres of blueberries  
but now it has about 4,500, which are estimated to yield more than 20  
million pounds this season. That's still well short of Michigan, the  
nation's largest producer at 110 million pounds last year. But when  
California's plantings mature, its production may reach 50 million  
pounds, exceeding Oregon's, now the third-largest U.S. producer."

I have mixed feelings about this.  On the one hand, I love  
blueberries, and like to see more fruit grown.  On the other, I fear  
that breeders and the industry at large will become more CA-centric,  
and there will be fewer good new varieties for the northeast, and  
fewer local (or east-coast) berries on the market, and my grocery  
store will only stock berries shipped in from CA.

Oh well, time will tell.  My blueberry bushes are looking very  
promising this year.

Ginda Fisher
Eastern MA, zone 6