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Koyaanisqatsi
Heavy Crude
Joined: Sep 17, 2007
Posts: 218
Location: Pacific NW
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 Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 2:15 am Post subject: Re: berries |
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| Tucker wrote: |
By planting these uncommon fruits out front, I've saved space in the fenced in backyard for things that are more likely to be stolen. |
I like that concept a lot, but unfortunately our backyard is too small - we have to put a lot of obvious edibles out in front. That's where we get most of the sunshine, too. |
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mystiek
Heavy Crude
Joined: May 20, 2008
Posts: 336
Location: Tennessee
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| Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 10:47 pm Post subject: Re: berries |
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| speaking of berries-maybe this belongs in the canning forum, but since you are berry folks maybe you have a better suggestion: the blackberries are probably going to be ready in about 2 weeks. I have always made blackberry jelly but I always used cheesecloth and feel like I am losing alot of the pulp. Any better suggestions other than cheesecloth? |
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allenwrench
Intermediate Crude
Joined: Apr 23, 2008
Posts: 893
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| Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 5:06 pm Post subject: Re: berries |
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| I am adding a black mulberry tree to my garden. Love em if they are right off a tree. They lose their oomph within hours after picking - so that's a negative with mulberry, as well as red bird poop everywhere. |
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CarlinsDarlin
Moderator
Joined: Jul 02, 2004
Posts: 1422
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| Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 5:09 pm Post subject: Re: berries |
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mystie,
My brother makes blackberry jelly - I think he also uses a cheese cloth. Personally, I like jam better. The seeds don't bother me, and I get to use every last bit of the berry. I made some wonderful blackberry jam last year... it's almost gone. I can't wait till the berries ripen here so we can make some more  yum...
K |
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mercurygirl
Light Sweet Crude
Joined: Jan 29, 2006
Posts: 1290
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| Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 5:36 pm Post subject: Re: berries |
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I bet you could combine blackberries with blueberries, cherries, or others to make a good jam with seeds in. The seeded berries straight seem a little too seedy to me, but it's just preference. Try it and see.
One of my best fruit crisps ever is peach/blackberry. To swoon for with vanilla ice cream. Blackberry wine is good, but I've never made it. |
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mystiek
Heavy Crude
Joined: May 20, 2008
Posts: 336
Location: Tennessee
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| Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 9:40 pm Post subject: Re: berries |
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| I like jam better too, but blackberries are just a bit seedier than I usually like for jam. I just felt like I was losing too much pulp with the cheesecloth. The strawberries we picked this year went almost exclusively to jam (40 pints). Our blackberries are probably still 2 weeks out from being ripe, which is good because I have 2 bushels of green beans to can and 1 bushel of cucumbers I'm going to make into dill pickles this weekend. |
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mercurygirl
Light Sweet Crude
Joined: Jan 29, 2006
Posts: 1290
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| Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 11:16 pm Post subject: Re: berries |
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| mystiek wrote: | | I like jam better too, but blackberries are just a bit seedier than I usually like for jam. I just felt like I was losing too much pulp with the cheesecloth. The strawberries we picked this year went almost exclusively to jam (40 pints). Our blackberries are probably still 2 weeks out from being ripe, which is good because I have 2 bushels of green beans to can and 1 bushel of cucumbers I'm going to make into dill pickles this weekend. |
Wowie! You're a canning fool, girl! Or feeding a big bunch. I go through maybe 5 pints of jam a year. I get it if you're off-grid or restricted in your power use, me I freeze a lot of fruit. Blackberry/banana smoothie, yum.
I recently got a food dryer and will be toying with that, lowest effort and highest nutrient values in method of preserving foods, I believe.
You must be down south. Cucumbers are a ways off for me. I want to do pickles really bad. I tried last year, but it didn't work out. |
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patience
Expert
Joined: Jan 04, 2008
Posts: 1757
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| Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 6:55 am Post subject: Re: berries |
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My wife and daughter planted a gooseberry bush when I wasn't paying attention, and this year it produced about a gallon of ripe (maybe) berries. They are in the fridge, and we haven't a clue what to do with them.
No flavor to speak of, and the less ripe ones are of course, sour as can be. Any ideas? Jam? Pies? Inedible?
_________________
Local fix-it guy.. |
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mystiek
Heavy Crude
Joined: May 20, 2008
Posts: 336
Location: Tennessee
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| Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 8:47 am Post subject: Re: berries |
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| I have 6 people total in the house, 5 which are males that eat alot.....(even the dog is a male-I am so outnumbered!).We live in So. Tn on the border of Alabama. Our freezer is pretty full of meat so canning is the best storage option. Plus if things get worse and we are knocked off the grid for a long time I am going to be scrambling to deal with a bunch of meat-at least I won't have to deal with the canned stuff. I try not to be a doomist, but I want to be realistic. Our family lived without electricity for a couple weeks at a time from hurricanes in FL and almost 2 weeks from an ice storm when we lived in WV-in my mind that was a trial run for what we would need to do on a longer basis. Plus, there are a few family members out there that I know if things get tougher they are going to be on my front porch with their bags. |
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FoolYap
Heavy Crude
Joined: Sep 04, 2005
Posts: 445
Location: central MA, USA
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| Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 10:53 am Post subject: Re: berries |
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| patience wrote: | | No flavor to speak of, and the less ripe ones are of course, sour as can be. Any ideas? Jam? Pies? Inedible? |
We had wild gooseberry on the family farm. Agree with you on the blandness of them; I never much cared for them, but perhaps we just had particularly uninspired bushes. 
Mom made pies with them a few times. Okay, but not really worth the trouble by themselves. Maybe they'd work well as filler, when paired with a tastier fruit? If anyone else has any recipes they'd like to share, I'd be curious too.
--Steve |
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mercurygirl
Light Sweet Crude
Joined: Jan 29, 2006
Posts: 1290
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| Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 10:53 am Post subject: Re: berries |
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Good work there, mystie.
Something I wanted to throw in was drying may work for you with all your sun. I posted a long time ago in the Drying/canning/pickling thread (which is a great resource) about drying blackberries because we have so many of them. I got some good responses and lots of people have shown their solar dryer setups. Fruit leather was one good idea. Go browse that thread or do a search in Planning. You'll like it, I'm sure. |
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mystiek
Heavy Crude
Joined: May 20, 2008
Posts: 336
Location: Tennessee
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| Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 2:53 pm Post subject: Re: berries |
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| Mercurygirl thanks a bunch-I will definitely check into that-anything to streamline my time. I am a physician with my own practice, plus market DNA nutritional testing through GeneWize Life Sciences-along with trying to feed all the hungry males (oh, and did I mention the male children dirty alot of clothes....). Speaking of soap, which is way off the subject of berries-I tried some of that laundry soap you can get at Soaps Gone by-made of Fels naptha, borax and arm and hammer-its alot cheaper than the Tide I was using and did a good job. |
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oowolf
Expert
Joined: Nov 09, 2004
Posts: 1257
Location: Big Rock Candy Mountain
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| Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 3:30 pm Post subject: Re: berries |
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A blueberry variety like "Patriot" or "Duke", if well managed, will produce up to 20# fruit on a 4-5' bush.
Saskatoons (Amelanchier) take up considerably more space for an equal amount of fruit. I assume space is a critical factor. |
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Koyaanisqatsi
Heavy Crude
Joined: Sep 17, 2007
Posts: 218
Location: Pacific NW
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| Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 3:39 pm Post subject: Re: berries |
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| oowolf wrote: | A blueberry variety like "Patriot" or "Duke", if well managed, will produce up to 20# fruit on a 4-5' bush.
Saskatoons (Amelanchier) take up considerably more space for an equal amount of fruit. I assume space is a critical factor. |
Yes, it is in my case - thanks! |
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allenwrench
Intermediate Crude
Joined: Apr 23, 2008
Posts: 893
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| Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 9:09 am Post subject: Re: berries |
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What is your favorite berry variety? (Brambles)
I have planted 6 types, but they are too new to give much feedback.
Anne
Caroline
Triple Crown
Heritage
Autumn B
A black raspberry...can't remember the name. |
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