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in Berries, How to Grow, Plant
How to Plant, Grow, and Prune Blackberries
Blackberry plants are easy to plant and grow. The blackberry is a vigorous grower. Modern blackberry varieties and cultivars are derived from native species which are still found growing wild along roadsides. Blackberry plants vary from trailing to erect to bushy and from thorny to thornless. Some varieties and cultivars are suited for chilly northern […] More
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Strawberry Serving Ideas for a Delicious Table
Strawberries are one of the most versatile and crowd-pleasing fruits you can grow at home—and as a lifelong gardener and cook, I’ve enjoyed serving them in every way imaginable, from fresh-picked bowls on summer mornings to elegant desserts at family gatherings. Their sweet flavor and vibrant color make them a natural centerpiece for the table, […] More
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Ways to Serve Raspberries
Raspberries are the most intensely flavored and delicate of berries. The peak season for red raspberries in the Northern Hemisphere is June through September; for the golden or yellow raspberry June through October, and for the black raspberry during July. To best experience the luscious raspberry—many consider it a finer fruit than the strawberry–be sure […] More
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How to Cook and Serve Cranberries
Cranberries are bright red to reddish-orange berries that grow to about ¾ inch in diameter. The cranberry plant is a low-growing trailing vine that grows best in low-lying sandy bogs. Cranberries are native to North America and northern Europe and take their name from the shape of their pale pink blossoms that resemble the heads […] More
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Ways to Serve Blackberries
Blackberry, brambleberry, dewberry, boysenberry, loganberry, marionberry, olallieberry: blackberry is the collective name for a large group of fruits in the same genus. Blackberries are also called brambles and brambleberries, particularly in England. The boysenberry, loganberry, marionberry, and ollalieberry are common names for popular blackberry varieties or hybrids ‘Boysen’, ‘Logan’, ‘Marion’, and ‘Olallie’. Dewberries are almost […] More
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in Berries, Fruits, How to Grow, Plant
Growing Blueberries: A Home Gardener’s Guide
The blueberry is easy to plant and grow. The blueberry plant is best planted and grown where summers are cool and the soil is acidic. There are varieties that will grow in warm, dry summer regions. Blueberries are long-lived. Plant them where they can grow undisturbed for 10 or more years. Blueberries flower in the […] More
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in Berries, Fruits, How to Grow, Plant
How to Plant, Grow, Prune, and Harvest Gooseberries
Gooseberries are small, round thin-skinned fruits that look a lot like grapes. Ripe gooseberries can be green, pink, yellow, or white. Some gooseberry varieties are for fresh-eating and desserts; others are for cooking—pies, tarts, jam, jellies, and sauces; and some varieties can be used both fresh and cooked. The gooseberry is a hardy, deciduous, perennial […] More
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in Preserve
Freezing Blueberries and Other Berries
Freeze just harvested blueberries and also raspberries, elderberries, currants, huckleberries, blackberries, boysenberries, loganberries, mulberries, and strawberries for thawing and using just as fresh next winter. Freeze blueberries and other berries individually—called dry pack—or in sugar and syrup or unsweetened. Use thawed berries in desserts, in pies and other desserts and in smoothies. You will need […] More
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Berry Harvest Quick Tips
Berries taste their absolute best when left to ripen on the plant, then picked and eaten immediately. Sweetness, aroma, and flavor determine ripeness; berries can reach their peak in a day or two once they begin to mature. Visit plants every day once fruit begins to deepen in color. Taste and smell to decide when […] More