Fruit trees and small fruits Garden festivals

July 1st is Polish Blueberry Day!

The blueberry (various species of Vaccinium with bluish fruits, especially the highbush blueberry, V. corymbosum) was until fairly recently only known in its native North America, but its popularity has been growing all over the world. Poland is now the world’s third-largest producer of blueberries, after the United States and Canada, producing 12,731 tonnes.

The tiny delicious berries are so popular in Poland that the country has declared a Polish Blueberry Day (Polski dzie? borówki): July 1st, which corresponds to the beginning of the blueberry harvesting season.

Examples of blueberry products from Poland. Photo: polishblueberry.com

Polish Blueberry Day brings together consumers and growers. Presentations and tastings featuring the qualities of blueberries, fresh fruit and blueberry preserves are held annually in over 600 locations across the country. 

Blueberries have been called a “superfood,” packed with antioxidants and phytoflavinoids, and high in potassium and vitamin C, making them a top choice of doctors and nutritionists. Not only can they lower your risk of heart disease and cancer, they are also anti-inflammatory … and delicious!

Blueberries have been called a superfood. Photo: polishblueberry.com

Most of Poland’s blueberry production (as much as 80 percent) is actually exported. Its blueberries are sold to 25 countries on four continents. “The fruit goes to the most demanding markets,” says Dominika Kozarzewska of the Polish Blueberry Promotion Foundation. The United Kingdom is currently the largest importer of Polish blueberries.

Polish blueberries have always had a good reputation for general quality but more especially for their good taste, which is due to the generally good climate and soils within Poland. The combination of cold winters and hot summers is perfect for bringing out the right sugar/acid balance that gives the Polish fruit its unique flavor characteristics. 

The next time you buy blueberries, why not check where they came from? They may well be from Poland!

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Garden writer and blogger, author of 65 gardening books, lecturer and communicator, the Laidback Gardener, Larry Hodgson, passed away in October 2022. Known for his great generosity, his thoroughness and his sense of humor, he reached several generations of amateur and professional gardeners over his 40-year career. Thanks to his son, Mathieu Hodgson, and a team of contributors, laidbackgardener.blog will continue its mission of demystifying gardening and making it more accessible to all.

3 comments on “July 1st is Polish Blueberry Day!

  1. Thank you for the good writeup. It in reality was a enjoyment account it.
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  2. With all the berries that they can grow there, blueberry seems like an unlikely favorite.
    Watsonville, the Strawberry Capital of the World is just down the coast a bit, yet I still am none too keen on strawberries.

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