Small Fruits / Berries

Eating fresh food from the garden is especially beneficial. And if you accept this idea, then you must with me conclude that there is something in fresh food that will degrade over time after harvest. Since the macro molecules seem rather stable, I can conclude that these beneficial elements must be the fragile phyto-nutrients and anti-oxidants in fresh food. A portion of our diet likely should be raw food. Note this quote:

"All should be acquainted with the special value of fruits and vegetables fresh from the orchard and garden." CD 312.4

If you study about the colors of foods, you will find some common health characteristics with the foods of a similar color. Try to have a rainbow diet: reds, yellows, greens, whites, blues, purples. Adding a lot of color variety will assure you are getting the maximum nutrition from your food.

There is a lot of scientific research related to anti-oxidant properties of foods, and how these protect the human body from really had diseases, like cancer, hypertension and atherosclerosis. We want to be healthy, not only for the reason of living longer, but that the quality of the years we do live will be improved. The end result of our lives is that we may daily do what best pleases the Lord. (Eph 5:10)

So let's just pause a moment, and survey some of the anti-oxidant research, and then see what foods percolate to the top of the list containing these helpful chemicals.

• Antioxidant levels of Haskap (honey berry) (web)
• Superfood label given to Saskatoon berry (June berry) (web)
• Health Benefits of Aronia Berries (web)
• Most nutritionally dense food on earth? Goji berries (web)
• Nutritional and medicinal value of tart cherries ranks above most other fruits (web)
• 10 Miracle Healing Powers of Grapes (web)
• Blueberries - The World's Healthiest Foods (web)
• Raspberry- A power packed fruit with immense health benefits (web)
• 8 Health Benefits of Blackberries (web)

If you read just the titles, you will be impressed by the health benefits of these berries! This fall and next spring, we are expanding our farm into more berries, and will experiment with many of those listed above. Enjoy good health by expanding the colors of your foods, and make these berries a regular part of your diet.

In 2016, I planted two types of purchased Raspberries in the lower field:

• Double Gold Raspberry
• Joan J Primocane Red Raspberry

Resources:

• Small Berry Production (web)
• Raspberry Cultivar Comparison Charts (web)
• Low Bush Sour Cherries comparisons (pdf)
• June Berries Fact Sheets (web index -> pdf)

Blueberry Pie

Our blueberry plants are doing well. All have survived so far. I can only hope for the future to include a lot of blueberries! We picked / purchased 150 lbs this year. We froze most of them, and canned some as well. Our canning method was unique to us, being recommended by a friend. We took sterile jars, and dry packed them with fresh, cleaned blueberries. We pressed them down as much as we could to completely fill the jar, yet without smashing them. Then place the jars into the oven, and bake at 250 for 30 mins. The berries cook down inside the jars, and the end result is about 1/2 full of canned berries. The jars seal, and stay canned. It is a simple way to preserve blueberries. Sunshine says the skins of the berries are slightly more tough with this method, but the ease of processing makes the method a winner.

With fresh blueberries, I suggest you make a blueberry pie. I just did, and mmmm, good! I got this recipe from Sunshine's sister, so credits to her and thanks for the great recipes. I love crusts, and now that I have made a few pies, I know why. They are not all that healthful ;)

Crust:

mix well dry ingredients:

• 3 1/2 C white flour
• 1 1/2 t salt

mix well wet ingredients:

• 1 C oil
• 1/2 C cold water

Mix dry and wet ingredients together. Stir into dough quickly, but don't stir too much as that would make the crust tough. You want a consistent texture to the dough. Separate out 1/2 for the bottom crust, and the other half will be for the top crust. Roll out on a dough sheet, and set the pie pan on the dough, and flip it over. Remove the dough sheet. Roughly trim the excess off the pan, and settle the dough in place. Roll out the top in preparation for placement over the filling.

Filling:

6 C fresh washed blueberries

4 T corn starch

3/4 C sugar

1/8 t salt

1 T lemon juice

Place the filling in the pie pan, and place the top crust on the pie. Crimp the edges to join the top and bottom crust. Poke some decorative holes (fork pricks) into the top crust to allow steam to escape. Fashion some strips of aluminum foil to wrap around the crinkled edges of the pie (to keep them from getting over cooked.)

Bake at 400 for 45 mins. Remove the edge foil, and finish baking for 15 more minutes.

If you need any help eating the pie, just invite us over ;) Happy eating.


P.S. Apple Pie Filling:

For this fall when apples come on (we hope there are some apples that made it through the spring frosts), we suggest apple pie! Use the same crust and method. The filling directions are below. I tried it with canned chunky apples, and it was hailed a success:

5-7 large apples, or 1 1/2 Q canned

3/4 C sugar
3 T white flour, or 3 T starch
1/8 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg (optional)

Place cut apples in the pie pan, mix ingredients over apples, and top with 1 T lemon juice.

Blueberries

Blueberries have gotten some good press about their health giving properties. As perennials, small fruits and berries will perform year after year without the startup work required for vegetables. Since we live in the north, blueberry fields are common in our area, and we have grown to love them.

Our plan is to plant 10-20 blue berry plants this spring. The biggest challenge we face is that our soils are alkaline, and as noted below, these plants love acidic soils. This will be a major challenge to change the soil pH around this growing area.


Growing preferences

Blueberries come from bushy plants that love boggy and wet areas. They do not want to be covered with water, but they do like to keep their roots moist. We have a wet area along the side of our field that we think would be ideal for our new blue berry plants.

They also like acidic soil, as is found in a bog. Your target pH is 4.5 to 5.5, and most soil will need amendments to assist in the lowering of the pH. Amend the soil to a depth of 14 inches by two feet wide. Pine needles, pine bark, elemental sulfur, ammomium sulfate and peat moss can lower the pH in your garden bed that will hold your blue berries. Canadian sphagnum peat moss has a pH of 3.0 to 4.5 making it an ideal amendment for blueberries. If necessary lower pH and supply nitrogen by adding 1 lb. of ammonium sulfate commercial fertilizer to 100 feet per inch depth of sawdust. Organic growers can use elemental sulfur and cottonseed meal or feather meal. It takes several months to a year for sulfur to lower the pH. Prepare blueberry planting site well in advance for best results.


Varieties

Follow this link for a beautiful chart of blueberry varieties. (web)

Elliott has one of the highest levels of antioxidants of all blueberry varieties.

     Once picked Elliott has a storage life of up to 12 weeks. (web)


Varieties we have planted in 2012, and updated in 2014 replacing a dead Bluecrop.

Duke         x1
Bluecrop    x9
Blue Ray    x10
Earliblue    x10
Ka-Bluey    x5
Chandler    x5


Planting and soil preparation

"Select a sunny location with well-drained soil that is free of weeds and is well-worked.  It's best to locate your blueberry plants in an area where irrigation is readily available as best results will be achieved by keeping the root zone moist throughout the growing season.

"Blueberries prefer acidic soils. A fail-safe way to grow blueberries in almost any soil is to incorporate peat moss into the planting medium. For planting directly in the ground, work up a planting area approximately 2½ feet in diameter and 2 foot deep for each plant. Remove 1/3 to 1/2 of the soil. Add an equal amount of pre-moistened peat moss and mix well.  (One 4 cubic foot compressed bale will usually be sufficient for 2-4 plants.)" (web)

Space your bushes from 4 to 6 feet apart with 7 to 10 feet between rows. Commercial farms space the rows 10 feet apart which is large enough for tractor access down the row. The home gardener can plant them 3 to 4 feet apart in any arrangement fitting the home landscape. Set at the same depth plants grew in container or ground. Planting too deeply will smother the roots. Little or no pruning is needed for the first two years except to remove broken or rubbing branches. Strip off all blossoms and fruits until the plant is well established (36 to 42 inches tall).


Mulch

Blueberries require mulch. For the first year mulch with fir, pine, or hemlock well rotted sawdust extending out 2 feet around plant to a depth of 3 inches so roots will not grow up into the mulch. After the first year increase mulch to a depth of 6 inches mounded around the crown. As plants mature extend the mulch out to the drip line. Mulch will gradually break down to help feed the plant and supply the high rate of organic matter blueberries need. More important, mulch provides a cool root run and conserves moisture, both requirements for blueberries. Other materials may be used as mulch such as composted pine needles or shredded leaves. General compost made from vegetable materials may be too high in pH for blueberries. Fresh grass clippings can heat up and damage surface roots. (web)


Planting History 2012

We ordered one Ka-Bluey plant online via a sale, and 4 more from another online site. The 30 other plants were picked up at a wholesaler, at a much better per unit price. The single Ka-Bluey came in the mail a week before we had scheduled to get the other plants from the wholesaler, so we put it in the ground on April 2. We were gone to a retreat for the next week, and there were some cold nights while we were gone. We watered well, and a friend also watered the plant, but when we returned, the once green leaves were brown red. I thought it was dying. Looking this up on the Internet, I see this is common for plants that were used to the warm, being transplanted into the cold of early spring to have the leaves turn red. This is the normal coinsurance in the fall due to cold temps. I hope the plant pulls through. Since we have been back to the homestead, I have protected the plant by covering it with an overturned bucket on the nights of frost danger.

10 Bluecrop ready for planting

We have waited to plant any additional plants till the 10 day forecast does not include the chance of frost. Hopefully we will plant the rest of the blueberry plants this Friday, April 13. Since our soil is alkaline, I wanted to dig a large hole and amend the soil with ag sulfur deeply. With the backhoe, I dug a trench 2 feet wide and about 3 feet deep. I will mix peat, ag sulfur, and compost and return the soil to the trench, and then will plant the blueberries with a generous amount of peat around its roots (say 2 shovels full).

We are planting the blueberries in 2 rows of 20 plants. We are setting our plants 4 feet apart within the row, and the rows 7 feet apart. We are not planning to need to drive the tractor down the row, and can therefore save the space, and have the rows closer together.


Pruning

"One of the biggest mistakes home gardeners make with their blueberries is lack of pruning. Aggressive, annual pruning will result in healthier, more vigorous plants and more prolific fruit production. Here are some simple tips:

• Pruning is best done in the spring before the leaves come out.
• Remove low growth around the base.
• Remove the dead wood, leaving bright colored lateral branches. Cut out any short, discolored branches.
• Continue pruning until you have removed 1/3 to 1/2 of the wood out your plants each year. Remember, this will promote growth and berry production so prune away!" (web)

Propagation

When you prune your blueberry plants, remember to save your clippings to start new plants. Clip the root end of the swig at an angle, and the top cut flat. Dip the angle cut end in rooting hormone, and plant in growth medium, and keep the atmosphere moist.

When roots have developed, plant in a location where you can protect it through the first winter. Some suggest building a mimi-greenhouse of plastic, straw and more plastic. This would sandwich the straw between the plastic to keep the straw warm, and preserve the thermal blanket effect.


Resources

• Establishing Blueberries in the Home Garden (pdf)
• Blueberries for home landscapes (web)
• The Basics of Blueberry Culture (web)
• A beautiful chart of blueberry varieties (web)
• Health benefits of blueberries (web)