The ripe berries have a very attractive bloom or "patina", don't they? Almost as if they have been dusted with talcum powder!
I have had to keep my Blueberries covered with a piece of fleece, to stop the birds from raiding them, and I decided to pick the berries before they were fully ripe, and to ripen them indoors.
There are lots of berries on the plants, but they all ripen at different times, so I just picked the ones that looked nearly ripe. I ended up with about 300 grams this time. I reckon that between them the four plants will produce something like 750 - 800 grams of fruit this year. The harvest is increasing as the plants get more mature.
These will probably need 4 or 5 days' ripening indoors before they are sweet enough to eat. We tend to eat them as "nibbling food" rather than in any specific dish. We keep them in a bowl in the kitchen, so that as we come and go we just grab a few of them every now and then. Supposedly, Blueberries are a "Superfood", so it is easy to justify eating them in large quantities (if you call 300g a large quantity!). They are nice sprinkled over a bowl of Corn Flakes, or added to a pot of yoghurt. Until recently we might have eaten Blueberries in muffins or with pancakes and maple syrup, but since we discovered that Jane is diabetic we have pretty much stopped eating desserts. I particularly like the combination of Blueberries with Raspberries - something to do with the contrasting colours, textures and flavours, I think.
Your blueberry habits seem to echo ours. The leaves on our blueberry bushes are beginning to turn red already!
ReplyDeleteGreat crop Mark, I used to have two bushes but they were rubbish after a couple of years and eventually died. Don't know what I was doing wrong but while they were doing okay the fruit was deelish.
ReplyDeleteYour bluberries look great, I did not know that they would continue to ripen once picked...learn something new every day.:)
ReplyDeleteYou got a good harvest from your plants! They are so good for you
ReplyDeleteYum Mark. We are so jealous! They look so beautiful and sweet.
ReplyDeleteHow old are the blueberry bushes Mark? We have planted blueberries 18 months ago, so I'm interested to know how long before I can count on a reasonable amount to harvest.
ReplyDeleteoooh yum, berry deliciousness, I've had 2 bushes in part shade for three years and only had a handful of berries. Have two new bushes to plant in full sun and am thinking of moving the old ones.
ReplyDeleteThat is a splendid harvest. I have a blueberry plant in the gardening, but have only been able to manange a few berries at a time, that are immediately being popped into my gob.
ReplyDeleteWe tend to feed the birds in the garden, so they tend to be good and lay off my berries. If your not already doing so, Perhaps you should try and bribe them that way as a way of distraction.
Great looking blueberries. I just planted four plants this year. It will be a little while before we harvest any quantity. I grew up on the coast of Maine where wild blueberries grow. I enjoy the wild ones more but will take the high bush plants in my back yard as an alternative.
ReplyDeleteThey look great Mark, do they overwinter outdoors in the pots?
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful raspberries and blueberries! They look delicious.
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