OMG your puppy is the cutest!!! 
Whats the pups name?
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Thanks so much Jaya, her name is Hannah. She has been such a blessing to our family as our last Lab, Bodie passed away in late February. She is so eager to please, and she’s learning new things every day.
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I’m now the newest member of the Hinno Red gooseberry fan club. Taste just like cherry jello when fully ripe.
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i have jeanne ripening right now for the 1st time. i may have to try a Hinno Red also. how old is your plant?
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Not sure of the age. They were pretty big plants I found at a local nursery. I bought 12 and eight fruited heavily this year. All of the pixwells I bought are fruiting, but I’m not real impressed with them so far. Houghton is still not ready and the others did not fruit. The cherry jello flavor Hinno red has is delicious and has me thinking jelly. I want to try some of the larger varieties. Gooseberries really don’t have much to them.
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the jeanne i planted last spring and is so loaded with fruit, i had to put the branches on bricks to pick them off of the soil. hopefully the newer canes coming in are more erect than these younger canes were.
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I’m fan of Hinno Red too and need to give a fully ripe one a taste to experience the cherry jello flavor.
I usually eat them before they’re fully ripe and have always thought of the flavor as a combination of a sour grape and a raspberry. The raspberry flavor hits first and is followed by the sour grape taste of the skin. A unique and flavorful fruit!
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If you wait till they are near black and soft they turn mostly sweet and get what I call cherry jello flavor. Big difference in that and a little before. All the astringency is gone and the skins are not so rubbery.
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Dealing with dozens of Honey Babe peaches, with about 50 more to go:
Also finishing up the Santa Rosa plums, and now nibbling on the Burgundy plums.
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How is the flavor of honey babe peach?
Good to very good. If you don’t have one, these genetic dwarf peaches/nectarines are a great addition to the garden. In my zone, Honey Babe makes a wonderful pink display in early March. They are often synced perfectly with hinamatsuri.
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@Monardella I’m curious to hear about your list of excellent peaches/nectarines that perform well in your garden
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Well I don’t have all that many. Snow Beauty white peach was a real winner for about ten years, then it got borers and died out. If you are into low-acid peaches, it is hard to beat. Frost has been another great one, tasting somewhat like a canned cling peach - great texture and flavor - they will be ripe in few days, and I am excited. Baby Crawford is probably my favorite peach variety. Flavorful, somewhat apricot-like, just perfect - but hammered so badly this year by leaf curl (zero fruit survived). For late varieties, I have had great luck with Fairtime. That’s a tough tree and bears reliably. Again apricot-like, and slightly astringent. I also have White Heath Cling, Indian Free, Flamekist, Desert Dawn, Desert Delight - so far none of those are on my favorite list for various reasons. That could change.
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Marc, what chemical are you using to spray your blackberries for SWD and how often are you spraying?
Wow… any idea the variety they grow/? I use to love picking strawberries as a kid at those u pick…eat a pound for every pound you pick 
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Rainier Cherries.
The three tested 26, 27, and 28.2 Brix. I usually don’t get such good acid in Rainier cherries. I am also eating some unnamed red cherries that are running 23-26 Brix. It seems to be a good year for cherries.
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Their website says they grow Annapolis and Flavorfest varieties. I wish I could have actually picked them myself, and a few extra as you mention, but they are only doing drive up pre-picked this year due to Covid. Maybe it will be u-pick again next summer…maybe.
They used to be primarily a raspberry u-pick spot but had to get rid of most of them after SWD moved in. Looks like they’ve got concord grapes later in the year too.
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