Wild Blueberry Weekend helps a Maine staple thrive
WINDHAM – When Lori and Brett Jones bought property in Windham a decade ago, they thought maybe they’d buy a few cows or sheep to fill their four acres of lush rolling hills.
Then, as they cleared the land to build their home, they noticed there were wild blueberries everywhere. The couple has been in the blueberry industry ever since, and closed out their second year participating in Maine’s Wild Blueberry Weekend on Sunday.
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See more photos: Scenes from Maine’s 6th annual Wild Blueberry Weekend
For the last six years, dozens of farms have hosted visitors for pick-your-own experiences, farm tours, demonstrations and a slew of other blueberry-centric activities.
“It’s a way to kind of get people out to visit the blueberry farms, and a lot of people don’t realize that some of these farms exist and they’re a place that you can actually go visit,” Lori Jones said.
Lori Jones answers questions at Tavern Hill Farm in Windham on Sunday during the 6th annual Wild Blueberry Weekend. The farm, which was participating in the event for the second year, set up a small store where visitors could learn about the farm and purchase items such as blueberry lemonade, pies (which sold out on Saturday) and fresh picked blueberries. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer) Purchase this image
At Tavern Hill Farm, the Joneses sell fresh and frozen blueberries, bright-purple lemonade and highly coveted blueberry pies made by Lori’s sister, who is pastry chef. They do it all while eagerly sharing their passion and expertise with visitors.
For a Maine blueberry to be truly wild, Lori said, it has to be native to the soil rather than planted. The perennial fruits lay dormant for most of the year to survive winters. When it gets warm enough, they wake up and spread in vast clones underground. Blueberry farmers act as stewards for the plant, clearing out competition and cultivating the land to help them prosper.
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That’s when they become delicious blueberry pies at Tavern Hill. The Joneses sold 120 by 2 p.m. on Saturday, leaving none for repeat customer Pam Seggerman the next day.
“I took a bite — well, I didn’t just take a bite. I ate the whole thing,” Seggerman admitted to Lori after hearing they had sold out.
In the last few years, the Jones family has expanded their blueberry operation. They now rent about 30 acres of land in Gray from Seggerman, whose family has been in the blueberry industry since the 50s. Her favorite part of Wild Blueberry Weekend is getting to return to Tavern Hill to witness the success of her land.
“It’s a little piece of heaven up there,” Seggerman said of her land in Gray, adding that being able to carry on a quintessential piece of Maine’s heritage means everything to her.
A unique piece of equipment in a large garage at Tavern Hill Farm is part of what makes that possible. Brett Jones said their new blueberry processing machine has leveled-up their operation.
Brett Jones shows what picked blueberries look like before going through the line processor at Tavern Hill Farm in Windham on Sunday. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer) Purchase this image
The tall metal machine sorts the berries, chucking the “mummies” — a term used to describe the occasional hard shriveled berry — and picks the best of the harvest. Then, it spits them out onto a sorting belt where the farm team does a thorough double-check.
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“Anything that doesn’t roll, we think we don’t really want in our blueberries,” Lori said.
The machine was hard to come by, Brett said. The Maine Blueberry Company innovated the machine specifically for Maine blueberries. But they went out of production three years ago, sending the local blueberry industry into a bit of a scramble, Brett said.
There’s always an option to adapt high-bush processors from Canada to work for southern Maine’s low-bush berries, but sometimes they don’t work as efficiently. Expensive equipment and decreasing land values have made it hard to find success in the industry, which Brett said is “hanging on by a thread” in southern Maine.
Celebrating Wild Blueberry Weekend has become an important part of helping it thrive. The Joneses said they’ve received a ton of community support, with visitors coming from near and far to help celebrate the staple.
Evan Zink of North Yarmouth picks blueberries in a field at Tavern Hill Farm with his children Clark, 5; Louise Catherine, 4; and Frank, 2, during the 6th annual Wild Blueberry Weekend in Maine. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer) Purchase this image
Evan Zink brought his family to Tavern Hill Farm this year to learn about wild blueberries as new Mainers. He and his small children got a special opportunity to explore the field and pick the berries on Sunday.
“When (the children) got down there, and saw that they could eat the berries, they loved it,” Zink said after buying a five-pound box of frozen blueberries, a pint of fresh ones and a cup of lemonade.
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Tagged: Maine farms, maine wild blueberries
Isabelle Oss is a community reporter covering Kittery, Berwick, North Berwick, South Berwick, York and Ogunquit. Born and raised in Colorado, she moved to Maine in April 2026. Isabelle holds a master’s. More by Isabelle Oss
