GARDENER'S READING ROOM
Edibles

A Bounty of Berries

It's berry potting season at Sky Nursery. If you're a berry lover, now is the time to envision which delicious berries you'd like to be harvesting this summer - and then make tracks to Sky for our "berry best" selection.

Do you love blackberries but don't want to brave the "wilds" come picking time? You could grow 'Boysenberry', 'Marionberry' or 'Tayberry blackberries' right in your own backyard. These specimens are well-behaved and can be easily maintained - unlike their wild-growing relatives.

In a category all by itself, we have the thornless loganberry. It's thought to be a cross between a wild blackberry and a red raspberry. Whatever it is, it's delicious - and handily thornless!

As with every season, we will be offering an abundance of blueberries - 23 types in all! Be sure to check out two new varieties of blueberries we've added to the lineup, 'Misty' and 'O'Neal'.

In recent years, we've experienced a greatly increased demand for currants and gooseberries. Pick up some of these intriguing specimens and find out what all the fuss is about! We offer 'Captivator', 'Oregon Champion', and 'Poorman' gooseberries; also, red-fruiting 'Cherry Red' and 'Red Lake', and black-fruiting 'Consort' and 'Crandall' currants.

'Nova' and 'York' elderberries are available this season. Famous for use in wine-making, elderberries are also tasty in jams and juices.

Everyone has a favorite berry, and mine is the raspberry. I like raspberries in jam, added to pastries, or thrown into a bowl-full of yogurt. I especially like to eat them straight off the bush! Sky is carrying an array of five ever-bearing and four summer-crop raspberries this season. We are also carrying the Northwest's most popular black raspberry, 'Munger'.

We are offering our usual profusion of strawberries. You will be able to choose from 10 ever-bearing and eight June-bearing varieties. Our bare-root strawberry plants are packed in pots of sawdust and sold in economical bundles of (approximately) 20.

We're very excited about our selection of grapes this year. We are continuing to offer several varieties of grapes appropriate for the table, such as 'Glenora', 'Himrod', 'Interlaken', 'Lakemont', and 'Remaily'. But this year we have added an incredible line-up of wine grapes. Some of the intriguing-sounding names include 'Madeleine Angevine', 'Sangiovese Grosso' and 'Seigerrebe'. We are also carrying two well-known varieties, 'Pinot Gris' and 'Pinot Noir'. All-told, we will be offering 12 varieties of wine grapes. If you're a wine lover, this is surely reason to celebrate. Salud!

By Judy Boersema
Skylights Spring 2008 Vol 23, No. 1

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