Planting edibles gives us beauty and food and they grow well in Greensboro. As we quarantine in place, it is fun to watch the blueberries as they morph from blossoms, to green berries, to blue berries, ripe and ready to pick. Not only the berries, but the mid level height, make blueberry bushes a dream come true for birds. We’ve got about another month before it is blueberry season. There are a few blueberry farms in Greensboro and Guilford County.

Seeing these blueberries reminds us that Betty Cone, perhaps Greensboro’s greatest civic servant, has a blueberry farm. Betty stepped down from her orchestrating of the Festival of Lights and the Fun Fourth Festival to work at Cone’s Folly, the family’s blueberry farm in Pender County. That was about four years ago. We need to check in with Betty to see if she’s got her blueberry jelly marketed yet.*

Happy Tuesday, and remember, plant edibles!

*If you want to read about Betty Cone’s journey to growing blueberries read Mary Burritt’s article in the Greensboro News & Record from 2016, here.