New Brunswick Traveler

This interview with local historian Harold Wright deals with the military history of Partridge Island and the other sites around Saint John. Harold offers insights and humour as he shares about the establishment of a military defense in the 1790s, the War of 1812, and the wars in the 20th century.

Wild blueberries are native to Canada and grown mostly in coastal areas that have moderate temperatures and not as much possibility of frost. The majority of wild blueberry production is in Northeastern NB, but about 20% is in Southern New Brunswick where I live.

Currently there are over 300 wild blueberry producers and with good crop management over 4,000 pounds of berries are harvested per acre. The farm gate value is about 20 million dollars and the blueberry industry has contributed $81 million to the provincial GDP.

Only five percent of the crop is sold fresh. Most is frozen and the largest markets are industrial, hospitality and institutional. But for the New Brunswicker, there is nothing better than going to a local producer and purchasing them fresh. Or even better, buying the muffins and pies that they have available at those farm stands. In season, McKay's Blueberries sells 300 pies a day. And I buy one any time I am in the Pennfield area!

Today I am interviewing Greg Marquis, the co-host of a brand new podcast about Saint John history. Greg is a local university professor and president of the New Brunswick Historical Society. His co-host is Mark Allan Greene, an Alberta university professor and the author of The Great Saint John Fire of 1877. The podcast launches on September 17 and will be produced every two weeks. Link to the podcast is https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/saint-john-nothing-happened-here/id1766391411