Byne Blueberry Farms

Have you ever met a person and become instant friends? I met Mr. Dick Byne from

Waynesboro nearly 10 years ago when he stopped in to grab lunch at Honey Café. It

was a typical busy day at the restaurant, and I was running around doing all my

managerial duties. He pulled me to the side for a quick conversation and we became

fast friends. He wanted to know if we would be interested in selling his blueberry

products. I didn’t have to think twice about carrying Byne’s blueberry products. He

handed me a jar of velvety jam with flecks of real blueberries. It was so dark blue it

bordered on aubergene. The label on the jar instantly caught my eye. Front and center

on the label was a picture of his four beautiful daughters. I was intrigued to say the

least. I love a successful farm family and I had to know their story!

He’s a “talker”, so it didn’t take long to hear about his passion for farming, his family,

and selling all things blueberry. He has real knowledge! I could tell he genuinely loved

and believed in what he was selling! Our conversations always lead to friendly banter

about the food industry and the intricacies of running a small business. I always feel I

leave our conversations with a renewed zeal for tackling the day!

I like to surround myself with other small business owners who have a real passion for

their products and making their business grow. They are a treasure trove of knowledge.

I promise if they can’t help you with a question, they know someone who can! Mr. Dick

gave me invaluable knowledge that helped me formulate a product that won the Baked

Goods category in the Flavor of Georgia competition. I’m sure it comes as no surprise

that we used Byne’s Blueberry Preserves in our award-winning Lemon Blueberry

Cheesecake. He coached me on what makes a winner and helped me throughout the

whole process. I learned from the best as he is the first business to win Flavor of

Georgia 5 times! He knows the recipe for success.

Bynes blueberry farm has been in operation since 1980 with Mr. Dick running the show!

He is an eighth-generation farmer and in 2009 he won Master Farmer! He attended

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College where he decided he wanted to make farming a

career. With the help of his father, brother, and mentor Roosevelt Chance he decided to

start one of the oldest organic blueberry farms in the United States. He started with 15

acres of blueberry bushes that he lovingly planted on land passed down through the

Byne family for five generations. He still harvests berries from the original plants and

has added an additional 7 acres through the years. He prefers the sweet “Rabbit Eye”

variety. All Byne’s blueberries are organic. Never sprayed with pesticides or herbicides.

With the help of his wife and four daughters the farm went from a pick-your-own

operation to a wholesale operation offering any blueberry product Mr. Dick could

imagine.

The Bynes use very part of the blueberry! Some of their bestselling products include:

preserves, jam, jellies, BBQ sauce, syrup, chocolate coated berries, and even blueberry

powder used in juicing! My personal favorite are the dried blueberries. I enjoy them as

an afternoon snack, mixed in a green salad, or as a sweet addition to trail mix. We use

the dried blueberries in Honey’s Georgia chicken salad. A special recipe formulated to

showcase Georgia grown ag products: blueberries, peaches, and pecans.

Blueberries are considered a “super food” because they are low in calories and high in

antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals! When I asked Mr. Dick his favorite way to enjoy

blueberries, I wasn’t surprised when he said, “Any way they come. I like creativity.” He

is always looking for new ways to enjoy and promote his product. I even learned they

have a whole cookbook devoted to family recipes! I created a few recipes to showcase

Georgia’s number one fruit crop! Yes, blueberries beat out peaches with 18,328 acres

producing 39 million pounds valued at over 120 million dollars!

You can shop online at www.byneblueberries.com. You can also find Byne blueberry

products in Whole Foods, Fresh Market, and Piggly Wiggly. When blueberries are in

season you can visit the farm and pick your own! The season starts in June, so plan a

trip to 839 Story Mill Road in Waynesboro Ga!

Blueberry Recipes

Ribs with Blueberry BBQ Sauce

Ribs:

1 rack Ribs

Salt and Pepper

1 Tbs. Chili Powder

2 Tbs. Brown Sugar

2 Tbs. Apple Cider Vinegar

Season ribs lightly with salt and pepper. Rub ribs with chili powder and brown sugar.

Place ribs in foil and sprinkle vinegar over top of ribs. Tightly wrap the ribs in foil and

place on baking sheet.

Bake at 300 degrees for 2-2 1/2 hours or until tender.

Remove the ribs from foil and cover with blueberry bbq sauce. Broil for 5 minutes or

until nicely browned.

Blueberry BBQ Sauce

1 c Ketchup

1/2 c Brown Sugar

1/2 c Blueberries

1/4 c Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 Vidalia Onion

3 Tbs Butter

1 tsp. Pepper

1 tsp. Granulated Garlic

Sauté onion in butter in a small sauce pot until tender. Add remaining ingredients to the

pot. Stir until combined and simmer for 5-8 minutes. Stir frequently. Use spoon or whisk

to mash the berries while cooking.

Blueberry Delight

Crust:

2 c Plain Flour

2 sticks Salted Butter

½ c Sugar

1 c Pecans (finely chopped)

Melt butter. Mix flour, sugar, and pecans until combined. Add butter to flour mixture and

stir to combine. Press the dough into a 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15

minutes until lightly browned. Cool completely.

Filling:

2 8 oz blocks Cream Cheese (softened)

2 c Powdered Sugar

2 c Freshly Whipped Cream

Beat cream cheese and 1 cup of powdered sugar until fluffy. Whip cream with 1 cup of

powdered sugar until stiff peaks from. Fold whipped cream into cream cheese. Smooth

filling over cooled pecan shortbread crust.

Topping:

4 c Fresh Blueberries

1 jar Bynes Blueberry Jam

Place jam in a small pot. Add 2 c blueberries. Cook until jam melts and mash berries

slightly with spoon while stirring constantly. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and

add the other 2 cups of berries. Cool completely. Spoon over cream cheese mixture.

Chill until ready to serve.

Summer Blueberry Quinoa Salad

1 c cooked Quinoa

4 c Salad Greens

½ c Feta Cheese

½ c Toasted Pecans

½ c Craisins

1c Fresh Blueberries

1 c diced Granny Smith Apple

1 c Braswell’s Salad Dressing

Place salad greens in a bowl. Top with chilled quinoa and slightly toss. Top with

remaining ingredients. Serve immediately. I like to add sliced grilled chicken for a full meal!