iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

Planting unique edible fruit--advice, suggestions?

Started by Paschale, April 17, 2005, 12:36:48 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Paschale

Hi everyone,

I'm a fan of planting trees and shrubs that are both nice additions to the landscape, but that also have something I can eat on them, especially if they're a bit unique.  I'm thinking about planting a serviceberry, or juneberry tree, and I'm wondering if any of you have ever eaten those berries, or had jam from them?  I just ordered some from online, plus a jam that was a chokecherry/apple jelly to try.  I'm thinking about planting some elderberry bushes as well.  In the front, I planted a viburnum bush last year, and apparently these are often referred to as highbush cranberries, and you can make jam with them too.  One of the websites though said that jam from this bush often smells like dirty socks!   ::)  I guess if you put a lemon wedge in with it, it will take care of the odor.  Anyone ever tried anything from a viburnum bush?  Also, I read somewhere that barberry bushes have an edible berry that some people will mix with other fruits to make a jam.  Anyone know anything about that?

Any other ideas of interesting, unique, fruiting trees or shrubs that have fruit you can use, but will never find in a Smucker's jar?  I think it's pretty DanG fun to try all kinds of different types of native fruits to see what the good Lord provided us with!   8)

Here are a couple of links I found online:

brandeis.edu
doorbell.net
Y'all can pronounce it "puh-SKOLLY"

etat

I think I heard how you could make jelly out of kudzu.  Don't really know if it's true or not but I don't see no reason why you couldn't plant a few kudzu vines and in a years time have enough vines to make enough jelly to feed the whole dang world. :)

Uh, If ya ain't got no kudzu where you live, I absolutely would not recomend planting any. :)
Old Age and Treachery will outperform Youth and Inexperence. The thing is, getting older is starting to be painful.

Rockn H

I think my dad out in Georgia mentioned something about Kudzu jelly.  Probably anything that want kill ya, you ad enough sugar and wa-lah, jelly.  Have you thought about muscadine? It can probably be found commercially, but ,if you prune it right, like you would a wisteria.  You can make a really nice bush/tree.

Roxie

I learned never to wear white when working under the mulberry tree.   smiley_roller
Say when

Gunny

Juneberry jam was one of our staples back in the days of tipi-dwelling and log cabins deep in the woods.  We would flag the trees in the timber early on as soon as they blossomed (a cute, white flower)--a neat story behind the name "service" berry, too--so's we'd find the trees easier after the foliage hit.  It takes an awful lot of the berries to make a pint of jam.  Just rinse the berries, mush them, and work up the jam.  Leave those little seeds in.  It's the best tasting jam on the planet.  The birds will eat you out if you don't  pick them quickly when ready, tho.  We liked to let them get as purple as possible as they were the sweetest then.  You'll probably get much more from the domesticated tree/bush than we got from those that grew in the wild.  Enjoy.  Hope you get a pantry full!  We still eat our fill whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Paschale

Hey...thanks for the replies already guys!  Gunny, I'm glad to hear about your experience with Serviceberries--"best jam on the planet!"  Well, I think I will plant one now, and it sounds like they have nice blossoms too.  But you say there's a cool story about how they got their name.  I'm really curious now...could you educate us a little bit?   :P

Roxie--
Do  you like the flavor of mullberries?  I may have to see if I can find some mulberry jam or jelly on line to try that stuff out.
Y'all can pronounce it "puh-SKOLLY"

Gunny

Paschale:

We were told by an old fellow in the area that the reason the Juneberry tree got the nickname "Serviceberry" was because they were one of the earliest blossoming "shrubs" of the region and that their flowers were very often those plucked to beautify the burial services of those who'd passed away the previous winter and whose burials had to be delayed until the frost was out of the ground to allow for the digging of their graves.  My guess is that this all transpired eons before the advent of floral shops.  It made sense back then and, within the context of the era considered, still seems to make sense even now.  I'd bet folks even garnished the bouquets with Pussy Willow and Dogwood and maybe even some Cherry blossoms?

I think I'll go check my own trees for sprouts!

Norm

When I was little we used to  go gooseberry hunting in the woods. Most pies are made with green ones but if left on the bush to rippen to a purple color they make an excellent jam. They are a hardy bush and will grow in shady places.

We were out mushroom hunting and saw many bushes of them yesterday. Going to make it a point to make up a small batch for Patty and I this summer.

Brad_S.

We had mulberry trees where I grew up, one white and one black. Used to eat the fruit off the trees but that was 30 years ago and I don't remember the taste now but I'm sure it would make good jam. As designated lawn mower, I do remember them being messy trees!
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." J. Lennon

wesdor

Crabapple jelly is really nice.  You don't even need to add much pectin when you put it in jars.  The trees have wonderful blossoms in the spring.

Another unusual fruit would be the Quince.  We have freinds in Germany that make quince jelly and I think it is really delicious.  Not sure if you can grow them in your area, but these grow in northern Germany (about as far north as Hudson Bay in Canada, but moderated by the ocean).

Another great jelly and/or fruit off the tree would be Ranier Cherry.  I think they can be grown in the mid-west.  We are often in Washington state in the summer and try to purchase 40-50 pounds of Ranier cherries. They are very large, yellow, and make the bing cherry taste like a tart pie cherry.  Of course you would need at least 2 of them for pollination (perhaps even a bing cherry for cross pollination).  Sorry, I'm not up on the botany enough to give you details on the Ranier  Cherry.

How about blueberries?  My grandfather planted several bushed in his yard after a horticulturist told him they wouldn't grow.  He made a blueberry pie every year and took it to the fellow along with a big smile.

Have to get outside and work today.  I'll try to give "exotic" fruits more thought and maybe come up with something else.

Good luck.

Paschale

Thanks for all the input, guys.

As to Crabapple jelly--I suppose you really need to load up on the sugar, right?  I have an old, decrepit crabapple tree in the backyard that hardly blossoms anymore, and really doesn't produce any fruit to speak of, and I'm thinking of cutting it down this summer.  Maybe I'll see if it does fruit any, and try to make some jelly with it.

I did try to grow blueberries.  I amended the soil, and put some sand in with it, but they're pretty much dead.  Last summer, I honestly got only one blueberry.   ::)  It was tasty though!   ;)

I'd forgotten about Quince.  I know you can grow it here in the midwest, since I've seen it at the nursery.  Do you remember the taste of the Quince by chance?

Also, does anyone know if you always need two of a certain species to get successful pollination?  Hmm...I know with apples and pears you don't always need that, but how can one tell?

I'll have to look into the Ranier Cherries too, though I really like the idea of planting something you can't get at the local farm market.  We are pretty fortunate in Michigan.  There are a lot of great apple orchards here in West Michigan, including some that specialize in heirloom apples, and that probably at least one hundred different species.  Blueberries do very well, particularly close to the Lake, due to the sandy soil, and I suppose the cool evening temperatures.  Up north, near Traverse City we have a great Cherry crop.  All the usual berries do very well in Michigan as well.  I have a wild raspberry patch in my back yard that I transplanted from my folks' place that is doing better and better every year--maybe too good!  I think I need to put some plexiglass in the soil to box in the roots a bit better, or it'll take over the area.

Up in the U.P., we have thimbleberries, which are a close cousin of the raspberry, but really quite more complex.  They're delicious, and apparently you really have to have the right environment for those to grow.  They need cool nights.  I have a friend who transplanted them down here in lower Michigan.  They blossomed, but didn't fruit at all, apparently because it's too warm.  The U.P. of Michigan is one of the few places they'll grow, apparently.

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions!  I might try to order some Quince and crabapple jelly from some online places now too.  I'm getting ready for planting some trees and shrubs around the place, and before planting some of these, I wanna know better what the end result will be.

I'm pretty sure I'll plant some elderberry.  A friend had some elderberry jam that his mother made for him, and that was amazing!

Y'all can pronounce it "puh-SKOLLY"

Paschale

What about currants? Anyone know about those?

Oh, and Norm...how'd the mushroom hunting turn out for you?  Find any morels?

I found  some  links  to  some  other  unique  jams  and  jellies,  and  finally  figured  out how to do the hyperlinks, which somebody already changed for me in my first post. ;)


Chokecherry Jam


QuinceJam


Wild Crabapple Jelly


I might try making this next year.  They apparently just simply boil down seven gallons of apple cider to one gallon, and then put it in a jar and call it apple cider jelly.

Apple Cider Jelly


This is a kind of fun page with all kinds of different jellies, including gooseberry, and one with Ranier cherries.

Tons-O-Jam


OK...

I've wasted enough time!  It's time to get outside and enjoy this nice weather!
Y'all can pronounce it "puh-SKOLLY"

Ernie

Pepinos are great, they are related to spuds and tomatos so should grow anywhere you grow spuds or tomatos.

Cape gooseberries are nice also, they are in a very light shell like a chinese lantern.  I don't know what sort of jam they would make as I never manage to get up to the house with them :D :D :D

Ernie
A very wise man once told me . Grand children are great, we should have had them first

Norm

I didn't find one morel Paschale, people on the radio were raving about how they were bringing home bags of em. On the other hand there were so many beautiful delicate flowers that only appear for a short time in the spring I didn't mind. Any day that I can walk in the woods without bugs eating me alive is a bonus. :)

james

one year when making crabapple jam mom forgot to put the pectin in and we wound up with crabapple syrup wondurful stuff after that thats all she made ;) ;)

Roxie

Mulberry's are delicious.  I treat them the same way I would raspberry's or blueberry's.....make jam, put in cereal, eat in a bowl with some ice cream.  I've noticed a few things interesting about the mulberry tree (besides the fact that it stains clothing).  It doesn't attract insects or bee's like an apple tree does....and I have no idea why that would be true.  I also noticed that the fruit is available almost all summer long.  It isn't just one harvest and it's gone.   :) 
Say when

UNCLEBUCK

Paschale I am going to ask my ma tomorrow and report back , she has made jelly out of everything . Chokecherry always been my favorite since I was old enough to pick .
UNCLEBUCK    bridge burner/bridge mender

isawlogs

I aint got a green thumb ... but I do know that you need to have two different types of blueberry plants to get any fruits from them .... and that they need an acid soil to grow in ....
Blueberry pie is my favorite ... by far ...  that with homenmade ice cream ....  with a touch of mapple syrup ..
A man does not always grow wise as he grows old , but he always grows old as he grows wise .

   Marcel

tnlogger

marcel now quit that  :D i've got a craving for homemade blueberry pie know and alls i got here is homemade bannana pudding.  ;D
gene

Corley5

I think it was the "Prairie Farm Report" on RFDTV that had a segment on Saskatoon Berries.  A google search turns up quite a few sites for them.  They are used for jams, jellies, pies etc.  I wondered how they'd do here in Michigan.  If they thrive in Saskatchewan and Alberta, Michigan just might be too tropical ;)
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

WH_Conley

tnlogger, wouldn't want you to have to eat that nasty bannana pudding, so to help out a fellow FF member, just ship it up the road a ways and I will dispose of it properly for ya. ;D
Bill

Paschale

Are Saskatoons the same thing as Serviceberry or Juneberry?  I've heard the phrase "Saskatoon Serviceberry" before...I guess I need to do more research! :P
Y'all can pronounce it "puh-SKOLLY"

Quartlow

My MIL has a quince tree in her yard and they wife makes quince jam every year, the one thing I can tel you about a quince is, under no circumstances eat it raw, it is the most fowl nasty thing I have ever bitten into  :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
Breezewood 24 inch mill
Have a wooderful day!!

Andy Henriksen

Ah, a topic dear to my heart.  I've started an edible native woody plant garden along my back fence.  So far no eats, though  :-[ But most is only 2 years old or so.  Serviceberries are delicious, no question.  I've also got (for some other ideas for ya?) a few different currant and gooseberry varieties, blackberries, raspberries, blueberry (new this year - apparently I need another??), hazelnuts, American plum, Canadian plum, and a  couple of pawpaws.  If you are looking for unique, you must go with the pawpaw.  You may find the taste a bit disagreeable at first, but you will find yourself longing for it before long.  besides, it's just so wierd, you ought to have  a few of them. 

I hope to get some wild strawberries, thimbleberry, bunchberry, and some other ground layer stuff going soon.

A really cool book that you may be interested in is Edible Wild Plants, by Elias and Dykeman.   

Buzz-sawyer

I vote for paw paw ........delicious, and Persimons....candy..unless eaten green >:( :D :D
    HEAR THAT BLADE SING!

Thank You Sponsors!