In your zone you want Northern Highbush Varieties. Nourse Farms & Indiana Berry are reputable sellers. Check out their websites.

Check your local country extension office for recommendations for your area. Taste is very subjective.

Bluecrop & Elliott are a couple of my favorites.

Thanks for the recommendations on nurseries. I'm always interested to learn about a new source.

Regarding taste being subjective, I concur. Still some varieties tend to be preferred for fresh eating vs storage don't they. I'm just curious if anyone has a favorite. Just looking for some opinions since I don't really have any other was to thin the options down.

I would give you one but all I grow are Southern HB types because of my zone. My family in NY has Northern HB that grow huge for them and make good berries but they don't know the names. BB's are atrocious at the store I think you will be happy if you get a variety of NHB types to spread the season.

I'm in south central IL. Blueberries can be somewhat tricky here. One variety that has done well for me is Reka. It handles the stress that our region is prone to. Misty is a nice, large variety that also has done well, but it must ripen completely to be good.

1. Recommended for your area
2. Harvest times
3. Attributes/taste/storage

Seems counter-intuitive to choose based first on taste/color as it may not work well in your area. Harvest times are also important especially if you want fresh eating. Plan for extended harvest times by choosing varieties that ripen at different times.

Well I guess I assumed that zone correct varieties was a given. I like the suggestion about planting varieties that ripen a different times. I'll have to look and see if there are any varieties especially recommended for our area.

There are so many variables in highbush varieties. When I first planted I looked primarily at berry size and flavor but hardiness, ripening dates and range, picking ease, plant vigor, and many other attributes should be considered. I once thought that Nelson was the most coveted variety but now I'm just not happy with the stages of ripening of that variety. They turn from green to pink and then blue while others change to blue more quickly. Picking in low-light is not as easy. Others like Reka that Pawpaw mentioned are great if you keep bushes pruned annually.

Look over all of the attributes that you consider important, then go to PYO farms in your area and trial various varieties.

I second the ka-bluey blueberries. They are very good! I have several varieties and my two ka-bluey bushes always make the best tasting berries!

Depending on where in your yard you plant Blueray in your location I think would get you fresh berries in June and maybe part of July? Since you are focused on fresh eating I'd definitely stagger several varieties by fruiting season. I would go for something super early in june, then blueray then at least two more varieties. You could be munching on fresh berries until into september..

I've been really impressed with serviceberry bushes. They don't taste quite like blueberries but they seem bullet proof in zone 6.

No recommendations to give yet, as this is my first year growing them, but I'm trying Patriot and Spartan, which both ripen on the early side. If they seem to do well for me, I may add other varieties for a longer season.

Thanks all for the input. This really gives me plenty of good tips to think through as I try to select.

I second the blue crop suggestion. They are one of the most popular varieties to be eaten fresh!