Actually It’s part of my « job » to educate people and I kind of like it because there is soooo much to talk about and know about when you « talk » small bush fruits & fruits in general…
Having 11 kinds of different jams to sell to visitors, most of them go: those fruits all grow here? Most folk never heard of Saskatoon berries, high bush cranberries and so many more small fruits…
This year was special since it was my first year with my spring 2020 planted in the soil quince trees. When I saw the flowers I went crazy for more than 5 minutes:
Will I be making quince jam in next late September? I certainly hope so but let’s wait a bit, right?
This year I’m trying Physalis Peruviana. Up to now they grow well in the greenhouse:
thats funny as i too am growing 20 aunt molly ground cherry in my greenhouse! i also am getting alot of cherries on 5 of my trees for the 1st time. and my apricot flowered for the 1st time. i have c.j, romeo, 2 juliet and a montmorency. currants are all loaded. should be a great season!
We had a freeze on May 27. Quite unusual… All my grape wines suffered quite a lot especially the forming grapes. Well like everything is life: you win some and loose some…
we had several that week. my mulberry leaves got fried as well as some strawberry flowers. besides that everything else looks ok. my honeyberries are also loaded. dont know if ill have enough for jam yet but i hope so. most of my bushes are still young. will have plenty + for b. currant jam.
WHAT? Taste something before you spend lots of money and years of time growing it? That’s almost sensible, so your wife must not have the fruit growing disease most of us do! ha. That idea never occurred to me (though I’ve got several examples of things I did waste time, space, and money on, only to find out I didn’t like them!). I think you’ll like honeyberries though. Sour, elongated blueberries is my description.
Black currant. As for myself the most underrated fruit for jam. When I think “flavour” in a small fruit, (cooked, that is) black currants come to my mind but as everything else in life: chacun à son goût! P.S. but I have to add that cooked ground cherries are very close behind!
Yeah, she’s way more sensible than me. I like to think I’m the ideas man, but on more than one occasion she’s questioned whether a particular idea will work (especially spacing), and she’d be right! There are a couple of spots where if I’d put things in according to my to-scale map, it would have been pretty awful for foot traffic. Just had to actually measure on the ground to see it. She also has some pretty good ideas herself.
I’d be shocked if I didn’t like honeyberries, but you never know!
@mamuang , @jcguarneri, I tried the first honey berry today and think it is better to postpone the tasting for at least one more week - they are pretty sour right now. Lets aim weekend of June 12-13. The weather should be hot, it should add some sugar to them .
my indigo gem/ treat are loaded right now and sizing up nicely. biggest crop theyve ever set. should be harvesting in late june. hopefully the birds continue to ignore them but i have netting ready if they dont.
Well, the verdict is they are pretty dang tasty berries! Everyone in the family liked them, especially my 3yo daughter, who probably would have eaten every piece of fruit on the property if permitted. Thanks again to @galinas and @mamuang for hosting me and my family. I was so busy being impressed that I forgot to take any pictures!
Thank you very much, Galina for hosting the honeyberry tasting. They were not as tart as I expect. But I definitely like the jam. It was perfect for jam.
Jay - I saw food, I forgot about taking pictures, too. Lot of food from Galina. Thank you, again.
I’m very surprised that you don’t necessarily need to put a net on those. If I wait just 1 or 2 weeks after pollenization the robins will eat everything!
P.S: There are a lot of robins nesting here. This explains that, right?
Marc
hey Marc. for some reason the birds dont mess with my fruit here other than a occasional crow pecking my blueberries. maybe its because the proximity to the house, my 2 cats and 3 dogs, or a combination.
Our robins are pretty fearless of us so netting is required here.
It was a good haul, I got 6.5kg, but that was only off the netted plants. Nothing from the exposed.
Jam is on the list for us this year. Already made tasty scones with some.
We had a day or two grace period on the strawberries, once I finished picking and uncovered the haskap. The robins pigged on all the fallen berries and the few. I missed.
Now, all I’m getting are the pineberries and they seem to have figured out that even some of those are edible.
Marc
