(TRENTON) – The New Jersey Department of Agriculture will highlight National Blueberry Day on Thursday afternoon, July 8, with special visits to the shore towns of Wildwood, Atlantic City and Seaside Heights where NJDA marketing staff will be on hand to distribute free Jersey Fresh blueberries to beachgoers.

“We’re very excited that visitors to the Jersey Shore can receive one of our long-time favorites, Jersey Fresh blueberries on National Blueberry Day from the fabulous farmers here in the Garden State,” NJDA Secretary Douglas Fisher said.

Blueberries will be available between 1 and 4 p.m., or until supplies last, at the end of East Schellenger Avenue at the boardwalk near Morey’s Piers in Wildwood, at the end of New York Avenue on the boardwalk near Ripley’s Believe It Or Not in Atlantic City, and along the boardwalk in Seaside Heights.

Blueberries were the No. 1 crop in New Jersey for 2020 with a production value of $85 million, according to the USDA. New Jersey annually ranks in the top six in the U.S. in the production of blueberries. Farmers in the Garden State harvested 46 million pounds of blueberries on 9,300 acres last year.

The National Blueberry Day promotion is taking place in conjunction with the New Jersey Blueberry Industry Advisory Council.

The blueberry season for New Jersey lasts through the end of July. During the height of blueberry season, production can be as high as 250,000-300,000 crates per day. Eating blueberries is beneficial to health as they are known as the “King of Anti-Oxidants.”  Blueberries are low in calories and high in nutrients.

Go to www.FindJerseyFresh.com to see where Jersey Fresh blueberries are available locally and to find recipes that include great tasting Jersey Fresh blueberries.

The cultivated blueberry was first grown in New Jersey in 1916 by Elizabeth Coleman White in Burlington County.

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To learn more about the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NJDeptofAgriculture and www.facebook.com/JerseyFreshOfficial or Twitter @NJDA and @JerseyFreshNJDA.