BFF Production Practices - 2014
Why Blue - Blue fruits are flavorful and high in antioxidants. Aronia berries have 3
times the antioxidants of blueberries. In addition to being high in antioxidants,
elderberries have anti-viral properties, may help prevent cancer, and are loaded
with quercetin, a flavonoid that’s critical for brain health. Blue fruit products are quite
popular in Europe. Most elderberry and black currant ingredients used in the U.S.
are imported. Are you getting enough blue foods in your diet?
Site Preparation – Refurbished deer fence; picked rocks; grew cover crops of oats,
wheat, red clover, buckwheat, sorghum; laid out planting beds; subsoiled beds
Fertility – Soil, tissue & pH testing; lower pH for blueberries (incorporate cover crop
residues, add composted horse manure, peat moss, micro-nutrients, elemental
sulfur, pine straw & hardwood bark mulches); foliar feed; fertigate w/ fish emulsion
and vermi-compost tea
Varieties Grown
Blueberry – Northern highbush; cross pollination; fruit size; flavor; yield.
Varieties planted – Northland, Polaris, Patriot, Northblue, Superior, Bluecrop,
Bluegold, Chippewa, St. Cloud, Northcountry, Nelson, Eliot, Elizabeth.
(More varieties = better pollination, higher yields & larger fruit.)
Elderberry – Fruit size; bioregion adaptation; health benefits, flavor.
Varieties planted – Adams, Nova, York, Johns, Ranger, Wyldewood, Bob
Gordon, Ranch
Black Currant – Disease resistance; fruit size; yield, culinary market.
Varieties planted – Titania, Consort (pulled due to powdery mildew issues)
Blue Plum – Fruit size; flavor; cross pollination; adaptation.
Varieties planted – Mt. Royal, Ewing Blue, Todd, Northern Blue, Black Ice
Cherry Plum – Fresh eating; diversity; pollination; flavor.
Varieties planted – Sapalta, Deep Purple
Aronia – Regional adaptation; vigor; high antioxidant content; flavor.
Varieties planted – Viking; Brilliant (ornamental type)
Serviceberry (Saskatoon or Juneberry) – Hardiness; early maturing.
Variety planted – Regent
Jostaberry – Disease resistance; vigor; fruit size; thornless.
Variety planted – Jostaberry (black currant/gooseberry cross)
Honeyberry – Fresh eating; early maturing; winter hardy; sweet flavor.
Varieties planted – Night Mist, Borealis, Tundra, Midnight Blue, Bluebird, Blue
Belle, Blue Moon, Berry Blue, Aurora, Cinderella
New Jersey Tea – High value native prairie plant needing deer protection.
Plant Propagation – Root stem cuttings of aronia, black currant, and elderberry
Irrigation – Drip irrigation to all rows, except New Jersey Tea; rainwater collection from
machine shed roof; solar powered pump; 6000 gallon water storage; pump well water, as
needed; manual controls
Pests –
Birds – Bird Guard sound system; raptor roosts; row netting; wren houses; fake
owls & falcons; monofilament line (future idea – net field or sections)
Insects – Scouting; hand removal; Bt for Forest Tent Caterpillar; propane torch
for Eastern Tent Caterpillar; beneficial nematodes for currant borer; Tedder’s
traps for plum curculio
Raccoons – Electric fence; live trap and shoot
Weeds – Pre-plant tillage; paper, fabric, pine straw & hardwood bark mulch; White
Dutch clover between rows; hand & flame weed; mow; string trim; prevent seed set
Diseases – Scout; prune; remove infected plants & susceptible varieties
Pollination – Provide pollinator food sources (clover, native plants); sequential
mowing; plant early-flowering crops; surrounded by native prairie & woods
Harvest – All fruits hand harvested; cold storage in garage
Business Plan – 25-year business plan using Holistic Resource Management
Organic Certification – Complete MOSA Organic System Plan; field map;
field history; keep records; receive organic certification cost share
Marketing – Bulk sales to customer list; product development (jelly, juices)
For more information:
Blue Fruit Farm – 31762 Wiscoy Ridge Road, Winona, MN 55987, 507-454-8310
www.bluefruitfarm.com
Aronia – http://midwestaronia.org/
Elderberry - http://elderberrylife.com/