As we head into the heart of Florida blueberry harvest season – March through May — growers are shipping the fruit to market to meet statewide and national consumer demand.
You can find Florida-grown berries in stores, farmer’s markets, and U-picks from the Panhandle through South Florida.
Along with vitamin C, manganese and fiber, the fruit is known for anthocyanin, the pigment that provides blueberries their color and strong antioxidant capacity.
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Joshua Payne, a registered dietitian and family and consumer sciences agent with UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County, says anthocyanin can also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and neurological decline.
In addition to being good for you, blueberries are convenient, Payne said.
“People may find blueberries versatile to eat,” he said. “You can eat the fruit fresh in yogurt, frozen in smoothies and baked into desserts. I know that for new parents, blueberries are a favorite with toddlers, since they are easy to pack and are ‘bite size,’ and ready for them to eat.”
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Through a breeding program that goes back to the 1940s, UF/IFAS scientists work with Florida’s blueberry growers to bring consumers the tastiest fruit while giving growers high yields. While the UF/IFAS blueberry breeding program started in the 1940s, it started releasing highbush blueberries in the 1970s to allow Florida growers to produce fruit in the early U.S. market window.
When they started, UF/IFAS researchers bred low-chill, early ripening, high-quality blueberries. UF/IFAS-bred cultivars are known as “southern highbush” and can be grown in low-chill areas. This creates a year-round supply of fresh blueberries.
Florida’s blueberry producers recently started growing Falcon and FL19-006, both new UF/IFAS varieties. Both cultivars produce high yields with firm, flavorful fruit and no known disease issues. Other more recent blueberry cultivars from the UF/IFAS breeding program include Sentinel and Albus.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Florida produced 22.3 million pounds of blueberries in the 2023 season, with a value of $75 million.
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Across the state, farmers grow about 5,700 acres of blueberries annually. About half of that land is in central Florida, and about 25% each is planted in north- and south-central Florida, making the state the No. 7 blueberry producer in the nation.
More specifically by region, Polk County grows the most blueberry acres in Central Florida, Alachua County leads North Florida, while Highlands County tops others in south-central Florida, said Doug Phillips, statewide Blueberry Extension coordinator.
“Florida’s blueberry industry is not very large compared to other states, but we do produce the first fresh fruit in the country, and that makes us very relevant,” Phillips said.
Before many Florida growers plant blueberries, they seek cultivars with high yields that resist pests and diseases and taste great.
“The blueberry breeding program works closely with the UF/IFAS Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. Candidate varieties are tested to determine whether consumers will like the fruit,” said Patricio Muñoz, associate professor of horticultural sciences and the UF/IFAS blueberry breeder. “New varieties are only released for commercial plantings if the results are positive when tasted with at least 300 people in these panels.”
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