July 1 is celebrated in Poland as the Fruit Day and the Polish Blueberry Day. On this occasion, Polish growers have organized special presentations and tastings. This year's first blueberries, black and red currants, preserves and juices from the honeyberry, chokeberry and MiniKiwi reigned supreme. Strawberry and raspberry ice cream. The symbol of the holiday is now a daily cup of seasonal super fruits promoted in Poland.
July is the time of peak abundance of fruit in Poland. A time when all popular berry species are available; apart from blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, currants or the honeyberry, Poland being the top global producer. In August, chokeberry harvests will start, and this year's Polish MiniKiwi harvest is also promising.
The Polish Super Fruits are blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackcurrants, chokeberries, MiniKiwis, honeyberries. They are a national treasure. The redder they are, the better protection they offer from the adverse impact of the environment. Let us seize the opportunity, let us eat them. “We should consume them every day",
says Prof. Dorota Konopacka, Director of the Research Institute of Horticulture in Skierniewice.
The celebration of the Fruit Day is a joint project between trade organizations and groups of berry fruit producers. As many as 7 fruit grower groups have combined their resources and become involved in building domestic demand. The project is co-developed by the association of blueberry growers, the national association of blackcurrant growers, the strawberry growers association, the MiniKiwi growers association, supported by the national association of chokeberry growers ARONIA POLSKA, the association of honeyberry growers.
"We are building a habit of eating a cup of super fruits every day as well as what we refer to as the ‘blueberry relay’, a cross–supplier offer to make it possible to enjoy the wealth of seasonal fruit for more than half a year, from May to October," says Witold Boguta, president of the board of the national union of fruit and vegetable producer groups.
The Polish Blueberry Day
July 1 is also a celebration of the Polish blueberry. This way to start the season has already become traditional here. Every year, the growers choose the youngest one among them. This year, the first tasting was performed by Krzyś, a 15-month-old son of growers from Janolin in the Rawa Mazowiecka municipality.
"We are very happy to have been able to open the 2019 season. Krzyś is a natural-born farmer and he will be very proud of it in a few years. Today has been a big experience for us. Both my husband and I come from farms handed down from generation to generation. We met in Warsaw while studying at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW). My husband was a trainee at the Institute of Horticulture in Skierniewice. That is how our fascination with blueberries began," says Agnieszka Kramarz, the mother of Krzyś, who opened the 2019 blueberry season.
"The blueberries grown in Poland are exported to over 30 countries on 4 continents. For years, over 80% of its production has been exported," says Dominika Kozarzewska, member of the board of the foundation for the promotion of Polish blueberries.
The joint promotion of Polish super fruits has been under the patronage of many people and institutions. The honorary patrons include the minister of agriculture and rural development, the chief sanitary inspector, the marshal of the Mazowsze region, the marshal of the Lublin region, the president of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, the general director of the National Support Centre for Agriculture and the director of the renowned Institute of Horticulture in Skierniewice.
