WHATELY — Quonquont Farm drew local chefs, brewers and many fans of the farm’s blueberries to its Blueberry Festival on Sunday.
The farm held a similar but smaller festival last year at its farmstand. This year’s festival grew to be held in the larger, air-conditioned farmhouse, where local brewers offered tastes of seasonal blueberry-flavored drinks, and blueberry recipes by amateur and professional chefs were available for visitors to sample and vote on in a contest.
“This is proving super popular,” said Quonquont Farm co-owner Allison Bell. “It’s a great way to show off all the kinds of things you can do with blueberries.”
The festival was imagined last year as a community event, and as a way to draw attention to blueberry season, Bell said. The festival was timed for the peak of the season, she explained: blueberry season normally starts around the second week of July, and lasts about a month.