Berry Glory!

There was nothing better over the holiday period than having lavish berries to put in puddings, cakes, muffins and everything glorious over Christmas!

We were getting at least a bowl full of strawberries, raspberries and blackberries every second day - which was ample to eat (but of course never enough!. It would be nice to have some more for jams! :)

My favourite was having fresh berry meringues with cream! Oooooo so good I can't wait for next years supply already!!!

http://grahamenz.com/

The raspberry/blackberry plants fruit on a years growth. So, as my book has directed me, I've cut off all this years canes and the new canes growing now, will bear next years fruit. I guess thats if I can get rid of those horrible passion vine hoppers. I've always had issues with them... squashing each one by hand is a painful ordeal and you never get them all!

As for the strawberries, they are sending out runners for some new plants. The plants I have are about 2 years old now... so they will probably be coming to the end of their prime next year. Hopfully the new ones will just self set and I wont have to buy new plants!

I cheated this year and ate all the strawberries the plants gave me, and bought some strawberries for jam. Its delicious jam and set well! Made some plum jam too with all the plums off the neighbours tree! I had so many to eat with a measly two branches overhanging the fence with AMPLE leftover for jam! A great way to save those pecked half eaten ones from the birds!! The secret to the setting is using the not the ripest fruit apparently - which worked well for my plum jam! What a fabulous plum tree! May my trees have just as good a harvest in the future!!!!