Blueberries! Summer’s delightful bounty, mouth-watering alone with a dab of whipped cream or ice cream or folded into the morning pancakes. Whatever your preference, blueberries are tasty delights that are also chock full of vitamin C and fiber.



It seems only natural that this berry, which has been harvested for many hundreds of years by Native Americans, should be celebrated at the peak of its season. Ellenville, New York will hold a special day in honor of this natural gift from the wild on Saturday, August 23 from 9 am to 4 pm, complete with music, crafts, a book-signing and good old-fashioned fun for the whole family.



The festival was co-founded by John Adams and Marc Fried, who are working with the Ellenville/Wawarsing Chamber of Commerce with Diane Turner serving as Chairperson for this event. Fried is best known as the author of a book on the history of huckleberry picking, entitled The Huckleberry Pickers, has been published by Black Dome Press. The book will be available (with Marc on hand to sign copies) at the festival. The book contains many old photographs of families ready to pick, harvest and can the berries. Marc will also be on hand to explain the difference between huckleberries and blueberries, which our forefathers often thought one and the same and many times referred to them as such.



In the old days, the process of picking the berries was a fun event for the whole family. Children went along with their own pint-size pails, sampling a few (or several) of the tasty treats when the adults weren’t looking. It was also an event that promised good food and future canning for the winter months. The blueberry was a staple in preventing the illnesses that accompany the deficiency of vitamin C that plagued many a pioneer, unable to get fresh fruit or vegetables during the raw, cold time of the year. They are also low in fat and sodium free. A one-cup serving of fresh blueberries will give you five grams of fiber and only 80 calories. Peak season is from mid-May to August in North America.



The Ellenville festival will hold not only a pancake breakfast, blueberry bake sale, barbecue and pie judging, but also a land conservation exhibition. “We want to revitalize downtown Ellenville, which has 15,000 protected acres in its township. Another goal is to attract people to our town who might be interested in developing it in the right way,” said festival co-founder John Adams.



Adams is a clear and avid proponent of land preservation, and wants to teach people about conservation. Growing up on his grandfather’s apple farm just four miles from New Paltz, the beauty of the surrounding landscape and its bounty has remained with him. He is clearly fond of the farming life, making his living growing organic micro greens and baby salad greens in his greenhouse on his property.



Ellenville is located off Route 17, off the Woodbury Plaza exit of the New York State Thruway. For more specific directions and questions about the day’s festivities, please phone either 845 647 4620 or 845 647 5626. Come out to Ellenville on August 23: it will be a fun drive into the country and enjoying some terrific food, great music, home spun crafts and a tribute to the delicious (and healthy) blueberry.