cuisine: sweet berries, big business
B L U E B E R RY
GOODNESS
Blueberries mean big busi-
ness for many farmers in South
Mississippi. Last year, blueber-
ries brought in about $13.5 mil-
lion dollars wholesale and
another $2,700,000 from direct
sales, such as farmers’ markets
and pick-your-own sales,
according to Dr. John Braswell,
Extension Horticulturist
Specialist with Mississippi State
University Experiment Station
in Poplarville.
8 4 • south mississippi scene
There are about 180 commer-
cial blueberry growers in
Mississippi with a combined
total of 3,000 acres of blueber-
ries.
The average price of blueber-
ries in South Mississippi last
year was $2 a pound for fresh
and $1.60 a pound for frozen
berries. The majority of blue-
berries grown in South
Mississippi are shipped outside
the state to locations all over
STORY BY MOLLIE REEVEES
the nation. But there’s plenty to
go around for South
Mississippians. “Farmer’s mar-
kets are getting real popular
again,” Braswell said. He added
that people are realizing the
value of buying fresh fruits
straight from the farmers that
grow them.
Last year, there were about
eight million pounds of blue-
berries harvested in South
Mississippi, according to
cuisine: sweet berries, big business
Braswell. Harvest time for
blueberries is just around the
corner, usually beginning the
last week of May and going
through late July or early
August. The blueberry harvest
of 2007 was good, but the har-
vest of 2008 is expected to be
better. “I think it’s going to be a
good year,” Braswell said. “It
looks pretty good. There’s a lot
of fruit out there,” he noted.
Favorable soil conditions have
helped with this year’s crop.
There’s good moisture in the
soil. Coming off several dry
years, the spring rains this year
have helped to improve the
growing conditions.
There was some concern in
late March when the south suf-
fered a late frost.”We had a
scare,” Braswell said.
Blueberries can take tempera-
tures down to about 28 degrees
after they have flowered. He
said that in most places in
South Mississippi the tempera-
ture hovered right around that.
“I don’t believe there was too
much damage,” he added.
Blueberries are native to
South Mississippi. The rabbit-
eye variety is one of the most
popular. But breeders are con-
stantly working to grow better
varieties through cross pollina-
tion. “Each variety is a little
better than the last,” Braswell
commented.
“The industry has really
evolved over the last 25 years,”
Braswell observed. Plants are
more productive, and the
berries are higher quality. The
methods of harvest have
improved, and the shelf life of
fresh berries has been extended.
“But it’s still a natural fruit
with no preservatives,”
Braswell said.
People are really seeing the
health benefits of blueberries,
Braswell added. All you have to
do is look at a healthy eating
cookbook or website and you
will find that blueberries are
high on the list. They are high
in antioxidants, which fight
aging, cancer and heart disease.
They are also a good source of
dietary fiber, magnesium, iron,
folate, and Vitamins A, C, and
E. Blueberries also contain folic
acid, ellagic acid and bacterial
inhibitors. One cup of blueber-
 “ B l u e b e rries as big as the end of your thumb,
Real sky-blue, and heavy, and ready to dru m
In the cavernous pail of the first one to come!”
R o b e r t Fro s t
ries contains just 80 calories and one gram of fat,
making it a healthy dessert or snack.
In addition to being healthy, the city of
Poplarville, located in Pearl River County, has
also made blueberries fun. The Blueberry Jubilee
in Poplarville, which is always held on the sec-
ond Saturday of June, will celebrate it’s twenty-
fifth anniversary this year. In the past as many as
35,000 people have attended the festival, accord-
ing to Marcelle Tims, treasurer of the The
Blueberry Jubilee.
Over two hundred vendors are expected at this
year’s Jubilee, which is scheduled for June 14.
“We only had 30 to 50 booths when it first start-
ed,” Tims said. “It’s just continuing to grow.”
About five years ago, Tims noted, USDA tours of
the ARS Small Fruits Research Station were
added. It’s a state-of-the-art research facility, one
of only three of it’s kind in the country. Visitors
will get to see how the blueberries are grown
while touring through the facility and seeing
how the complete operation works.
In addition to the tours, the day is filled with
activities for the entire family. There is live
music and storytelling throughout the day. Kids’
activities include a Baby Crawl, Bubble Gum
Blowing Contest, Hoola Hoop Contest and
Blueberry Coloring Contest. Helicopter rides will
be available. And of course, there will be blue-
berry vendors, along with other food and arts
and crafts booths. “It’s a lot of good family fun,”
Tims said.
The Blueberry Jubilee is a non-profit organiza-
tion. According to Tims, all money made on the
festival, minus expenses, is turned back into the
community in the form of grants.
T-shirts and posters commemorating the
Jubilee’s silver anniversary will also be available
for purchase. For more information on
Poplarville’s Blueberry Jubilee, visit www.blue-
berryjubilee.org.
Besides the fresh blueberries available at the
Blueberry Jubilee, there are farmers’ markets
located all over South Mississippi, with many
open year round.
south mississippi scene • 8 7
cuisine: sweet berries, big business

blueberry muffin
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flou r
3/ 4 cup white sugar
1/ 2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking pow d e r
1/ 3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/ 3 cup milk
1 cu p fresh blueberri es
1/ 2 cup white sugar
1/ 3 cup all-purpose f lour
1/ 4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspo ons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin cup s or line with mu ffin
li ners. Combin e 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and bakin g pow d e r.
Pl ace vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add t he egg and enough
mil k to fill the cup. Mix this wi th flour mixture. Fold in b lueberries.
Fi ll muffin cu ps right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topp ing mix-
tu re. Bake for 20 to 2 5 minutes in the preheated oven , or un til done.

Crumb Topping Mixture:

Mix together 1/2 cu p sugar, 1/3 cup f lour, 1/ 4 cup butter, and 1 1/ 2 tea-
spoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over mu ffins before bak-
ing.

N o t e : Makes 8 l arge muffins. You may double the reci pe and fill t he
muf fin cups just to the top edge for a wonderful extra - g e n e r o u s l y - s i z e d
deli style muff in. Add extra blu eberries i f you wa n t .

8 8 • south mississippi scene

 easy blueberry pie
3 cu ps blu eb erries Bring 1 cup of blueberries and wat er to a boi l.
3/ 4 cup wa t e r Boil gently for 4 minutes; add but ter. Stir in
1 tablespoon butter s u g a r, corn starch and salt. Cook slow l y, stir-
1 cu p sugar ring, until thick and clear. Remove from heat;
3 tablespoons cornstarch add lemon juice.
dash of salt Pour mixture over the rem ain ing 2 cups of
1 teaspoon l emo n juice bl ueb erries; stir gently to combine. Pour into
1 pie crust (9-inch) baked th e baked pie shell.
S e r ve chilled o r at roo m temperat ure with a
To p p i n g s : Sweetened Whipping Cream or do llop of sweetened whi pped cream or scoop
Vanilla Ice Cream of van illa ice cream.

south mississippi scene • 8 9