Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Berry Update

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We have four pathetic looking blueberry bushes in the back of the house but surprisingly, they all have a fair amount of blueberries on them.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we might actually be able to pick a few this year...that is if the birds stay away.  I'm also going to try rooting some green stem cuttings later on this summer.

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The red and black currant bushes are loaded with fruit.  I'd like to dry the black ones and make red currant jelly if we get enough.

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Although I've never picked them before, currants seem rather tedious to harvest.  However, the little clusters of fruit sure do look inviting.  The leaves themselves also have a wonderfully pungent wine-y dark fruit scent to them. 

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The gooseberries are fattening up as well.  It's another soft fruit that I've grown to love.

In addition to these, our raspberries are growing like gangbusters and there are a ton of flowering blackberry canes growing wild all around the development.  I've been told that they are suspected to be a cultivated variety that was planted by someone before the land was developed here so I might dig up a few plants to take with us if ever we decide leave this wonderful home we're renting.  

3 comments:

  1. I love gooseberries. My problem is that I don't know when to harvest them.

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  2. oh all of these will be so yummy! wish I could have gooseberries or currants (can't order them for NJ)

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  3. This winter and spring has been unreal: I've already harvested some blueberries and raspberries! The black raspberry I'm just waiting to finish coloring up. And the alpine strawberries have been producing for a few weeks now. So far so good!
    Anna in MD

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