Northstar Farm Blueberries are organically grown on seventy-four acres of pristine fields overlooking the village of Franklin, New York. For generations prior to planting of our fields in May 2014, the land was an organic dairy pasture, leaving the clay loam soil exceptionally rich in organic matter and nutrients our blueberry bushes need to thrive and produce delicious fruits. Cold winters and temperate summers with ample sunlight make our location, also known to locals as the “Blueberry Hill”, ideal to grow sweeter and more flavorful blueberries. And, we like to think, the beauty of the Western Catskills makes its way into every “Northstar” we harvest.
The farm specializes in heritage veritals and has over 13,000 blueberry bushes that are a combination of Bluecrop, Blueray and Patriot. Our harvest begins in mid July and last four to six weeks. We harvest manually and pack on premise to ensure maximum quality and freshness. Northstar Blueberries are sold to retailers, distributors and restaurants in the NY metro area, as well as farmer markets and CSA services in Manhattan and Brooklyn. During harvest, we offer grazing passes so that customers can wander the you-pick fields and experience eating our delicious blueberries right off the bush.
Northstar Farm Blueberries can be purchased at Farmers Markets in Brooklyn and Manhattan as well as at Hannaford, Price Chopper
and Four Season Produce.
The Northstar Blueberry
The Northstar Blueberry is shaped by the heritage varietals we grow, the nutrient rich clay loam soil and elevation of our fields, the climate of upstate New York, the history of our farm, our farming practices, and the hard work of our farming team.
Plump, large, firm, and bursting with crisp, punchy flavor, Northstar Blueberries are a combination of three heritage veritals:
Bluecrop – This heritage variety was introduced in the early 40’s in New Jersey. It’s a midseason variety that produces big clusters of light blue, medium size, firm berries. It has classic sweet taste with good sub-acid flavor.
Blueray – This heritage variety was introduced in the 50’s in New Jersey. It’s a midseason variety that produces dark blue, large, firm berries with extra-sweet aromatic flavor.
Patriot – This variety was developed by the USDA, and introduced in the mid 70’s in Maine. It’s an early-midseason variety that produces deep blue, large, firm berries with lovely flavor.
Gobble them by the handful for a breakfast on-the-go or a healthy midday pick-me-up. Mix them into fluffy pancakes on a lazy Saturday morning, or bake that mouthwatering Instagram worthy pie. However you choose to eat your berries, be sure that Northstar Blueberries will flood your mouth with that rich, layered taste and aroma that summons up fresh country air and the lingering flavor of summertime, and will fuel your body and brain with nutrients, antioxidants and fibers.
At Northstar Blueberry Farm we take soil health very seriously. Why? It’s very simple: healthy soil produces nutrient dense crops that nurture healthy thriving communities. For this reason, we rely on healthy soil and our ecosystem biology to support our crops rather than the chemistry of harmful pesticides and herbicides. We are working to obtain organic certification from NOFA-NY and organic regenerative certification (ROC) from NSF by 2020. We are certified for Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) by the USDA, and committed to the highest standards of food safety and handling practices.