You have to love them. For the first season, my strawberry crop at home has been surprisingly good. The first harvest sprung up over night, and they have tampered off the last few weeks, but are getting ready to bear another modest harvest. I have two species of everbearing strawberries.
I planted three canes of “Fall Gold” raspberries about four years ago and my parent’s house, and they are the only variety that survived. They are extremely hardy in all weather conditions. They bear twice a season rather than only once. They are bearing right now, and will bear again in September before the nights get cool. The downside is they aren’t good for canning or freezing or even in a sorbet. Basically you pick, you eat, so for a lot of people they are more trouble than they are worth. But with my three canes, I could pick a little every day and they would last most of the summer if I lived there.
And now to the bad boys, that separate the players from the pretenders: gooseberries and blackberries. You have to find mosquitoes, thorns, snakes, and wasps for these precious commodities. For gooseberries, my crop this year was even comparable to last. This year, I showed up late for the harvest, as most were turning brown (you want a green gooseberry). Last year I picked at the same time of the year (typically mid to late June) and had enough for two pies. Most people don’t like gooseberries for two clear reasons: they are a bear to pick and stem, and the taste. If you don’t get the taste right (particularly sugar) get ready for lockjaw!
My blackberries (I both have tame and wild varieties) were the exact opposite, I got to them a bit early. If I picked the middle or end of this month, I would have a huge harvest, but I don’t think I will have the time. Last year, my wife cooked the best cobbler I ever ate (blackberry cobbler is a natural laxative so be warned). We picked and froze blackberries for two large cobblers.
So goes the harvest, happy picking and eating.
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