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Weird and wonderful berries

One of the most exciting things about my wonderful new allotment is the number of rare fruits that I can grow. Ever since reading Mark Diacono’s A Taste of the Unexpected, I’ve been inspired to grow fruits that I will never find in the shops and that most people have never heard of.

I love berries of all kinds intensely. I love them on my cereal, I love them in puddings, and I love snacking on them. So growing as many of them - and as many different varieties - as possible seemed like a very sensible use of the large plot I am so lucky to rent.

I scoured books and blogs for berries that were rare but that were also known for their taste. I know some gardeners enjoy growing weird crops for the sake of it, but these berries need to earn their keep for eating as well as for being wonderful.

Here are some of the weird and wonderful berries I’m planting on my allotment, with stockists recommended (often these are the only sellers in the UK of this particular plant):

Salmonberry

Image copyright Kore Wild Fruit Nursery

I’m probably more excited about this berry than any other. It has beautiful deep pink blooms, and gorgeous amber, orange and red berries which ripen just before most raspberries. I bought it from Kore Wild Fruit Nursery.

Image copyright David Hofmann

Blackcap

Image copyright Kore Wild Fruit Nursery

I am growing two of these black-fruited raspberries, both from Kore Wild Fruit Nursery. Rubus leucodermis has very attractive blue-white stems and black, bloomy fruit which appears throughout the summer, while Rubus occidentalis has bright red stems which bear slightly smaller black fruit.

Marionberry

I’ll be honest - this hybrid blackberry crept its way onto my list mainly because a very important person in my life has the same name (minus the ‘berry’ bit, as that would make them sound a bit like a member of the Thunderbirds).

Marionberries (2493507934)

There’s also this hilarious article about the attempts of farmers and politicians in Oregon to make the Marionberry the official berry of the state, complete with some classic quotes from a devastated local Republican, who told journalists: “One would think this would be easy. Nothing in this process is easy. Ever.”

Hopefully growing this hybrid of the Ollalieberry and the Chehalem blackberry will be an easier process. My plants are coming from Chris Bowers.

Veitchberry

This hybrid between a blackberry and a raspberry apparently has a similar rich and juicy flavour to a mulberry. I’ve bought this from Chris Bowers.

Saskatoon

Growing this June Berry (Amelanchier alnifolia) is part of my attempts to find an environmentally-friendly alternative to blueberries. Blueberries need ericaceous soil, which tends to demand a peat-based mixture, and so I can’t grow them with any conscience. It’s also a beautiful bush with gorgeous young foliage which puts on a cracking display in the autumn and beautiful white flowers.

Image copyright dbarronoss

This berry has more of an apple-like flavour than the blueberry, and can be grown in containers. Left to its own devices it can grow to a couple of metres. I’ve got two small bushes from Kore Wild Fruit Nursery.

Blue honeysuckle

Image copyright Mark Diacono

This is one berry I have been dying to grow ever since reading Mark Diacono’s book. I’m ordering it from his Otter Farm shop as well. It’s another blueberry alternative that apparently tastes a little of blackcurrants, a little of blueberries and a little of honey.

Japanese wineberry

Another berry that I cannot wait to harvest (sadly not until next year as this fruits on year-old wood) is the Japanese wineberry.

Image copyright roberts87

It looks beautiful, with amber-glowing fruits hidden behind calyxes until ready to pick, and rusty red stems. And the taste is strong and complex. My wineberry came from Victoriana Nursery.

Tummelberry

This is another cross between a blackberry and a raspberry, with a good, sweet but sharp flavour. My canes have come from Victoriana Nursery.

Tayberry

A sharp and sweet blackberry and raspberry cross from Victoriana Nursery.

Loganberry

This is a wonderfully tangtastic blackberry and raspberry cross, which I’ve bought from Crowders. I’ve grown this before in previous gardens and marvelled at its tasty berries.

One Response

  1. Pete Veilleux

    what a great theme and selection! a couple of comments: i love salmonberry, but i love the flavor even more of flowering raspberry [Rubus odoratus], and thimbleberry [Rubus parviflorus] even more - although they are both loaded w/ small, slightly crunchy seeds]. Amelanchier alnifolia is a very loose family w/ loads of regional variety. There’s also some confusion between A. alnifolia and A. utahensis around here. The one i grow is sweeter than blueberries, and stays very small - usually under one meter. It’s great in containers and can take very dry conditions as well as moisture. Have you grown evergreen huckleberries - Vaccinium ovatum? There’s a wonderful selection called ‘Blue Madonna’ which has bluish leaves and produces loads of fruit. What is the scientific name of the blue honeysuckle? Thanks for some great and tempting fruits to try!

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