This year, contrary to our initial thought, hasn't been so good for dewberries. The ones out in the open just sort of shriveled up. We're guessing lack of our usual spring rains. BUT...if you'll notice in this picture, the ones that are hidden up under other bushes...
...are plump and juicy. Even with some ready, there are still more coming along behind them. Hope to pick them Monday or this next weekend. We might not get a large amount but a few more bags for the freezer would be fine with us.
UPDATE: Washout! It poured/flooded so we didn't get the dewberries this weekend, hoping to get a nice haul this coming weekend.
First time I have ever seen a dewberry (or at least a picture of one). They look exactly like blackberry and boysenberry which shouldn't be so surprising as they are all from the same family. Hope they give up their bounty without too much 'suffering'. LOL!
ReplyDeleteThey are very much related to blackberries. They are a bit plumper (usually, ha) than blackberries and kind of sweeter. No bounty this weekend (see most recent post, rain).
DeleteDewberries not something I have come across in the UK, I will be watching to see how you prepare them and for some recipes.
ReplyDeleteI am now wondering what the taste compares to.
They are closely related to blackberries, very common in the Southern US. They grow more trailing rather than upright caning like other berries. Maybe a few more seeds but sweet and delicious!
DeleteYour dewberries look like my blackberries. For years I picked them as they ripened, rinsed them, and tossed them in the freezer, (first on a cookie sheet covered in freezer paper - this let the berries freeze without being stuck together and then I would put them into freezer bags) -- I only had one plant and wanted to keep as many of them as I could. "Had" - my husband is a zealot when it comes to weeding and my beautiful plant died last summer (the first year of his retirement he became my yard man/garden helper).
ReplyDeleteYep! Just like them and we do the same thing (if you click on 'label' in above post that says "dewberries", you can see past posts on them, including how we frozen them one year (you'll probably find it exactly like you described yours). You've made me think of something, I've never tried transplanting them...I might have to do that and see how it goes.
DeleteThe dewberries in the second picture where they were protected from the wind and harsh sun look really juicy!
ReplyDeleteMy daddy always called these late dewberries "May berries" because they ripened after the usual April ripening time for dewberries.
My uncle who lives in the country irrigates a patch that is close to his house so he always has a great crop of dewberries. I plan to go dig some up and plant them at the edge of my garden so they can be watered along with my vegetables.
Is your dewberry patch close enough for you to put a timer on a hose for their irrigation in drier years? Of perhaps transplant some to your vegetable garden and grow them on a trellis?
Hope you get a bounty of dewberries for your freezer this weekend!
Texas Rose
Now I love that description, I've never heard of that but from now on, we will call them "May-berries". Love it!
DeleteI wished our patch was close enough for irrigated BUT, I'm worinder how easy they would be to transplant. Like taking some strong healthy canes and trying to root them? Then I COULD put them near irrigation available areas.
Poured rain today, so no dewberries but hey, those red ones should be really good next weekend, ha.
1st Man,
ReplyDeleteThey sure look like black berries to me.
Interesting!!!
Closely related!!! And taste very similar too.
DeleteThanks for explaining the difference between dewberries and blackberries in one of the comments above. When I saw the photos, I wondered. I can't wait for all our wild berries and fruit to ripen! You guys are a good month ahead of us in that.
ReplyDeleteYou'll get some soon I hope! No problem about the dewberries, glad I could help. I'll be honest I didn't know much about them until we HAD some, ha. I had always thought they were blackberries too.
Delete