I am growing these this year in mid Wales for the first time. i have two
different varieties, with a good crop on each, but......

How do I know when they are ripe and ready to pick?

At the moment I have them varying from a pinkish green thought to slate
blue.

Thanks

Roger T

Sacha wrote:
On 2010-07-26 21:38:34 +0100, Roger Tonkin said:


I am growing these this year in mid Wales for the first time. i have two
different varieties, with a good crop on each, but......

How do I know when they are ripe and ready to pick?

At the moment I have them varying from a pinkish green thought to slate
blue.

Thanks

Roger T

Try tasting the darker ones.
When the blackbirds have eaten them! ;-)

In article , says...

On 2010-07-26 21:38:34 +0100, Roger Tonkin said:


I am growing these this year in mid Wales for the first time. i have two
different varieties, with a good crop on each, but......

How do I know when they are ripe and ready to pick?

At the moment I have them varying from a pinkish green thought to slate
blue.

Thanks

Roger T

Try tasting the darker ones.

Tried that, they are very bland, not much taste, but then never having
bothered with Blueberries before, I must confest that I dont know what
they are supposed to taste like!

Roger T

In article ,
says...
When the blackbirds have eaten them! ;-)



I'm not that daft, they are very securely netted!

On Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:57:58 +0100, Roger Tonkin
wrote:

In article , says...

On 2010-07-26 21:38:34 +0100, Roger Tonkin said:


I am growing these this year in mid Wales for the first time. i have two
different varieties, with a good crop on each, but......

How do I know when they are ripe and ready to pick?

At the moment I have them varying from a pinkish green thought to slate
blue.

Thanks

Roger T

Try tasting the darker ones.

Tried that, they are very bland, not much taste, but then never having
bothered with Blueberries before, I must confest that I dont know what
they are supposed to taste like!


They vary a lot depending on variety. They reach their tastiest stage
a day or two before they go soggy! Pick them when they are just a bit
soft.

Steve



--
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Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
On Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:57:58 +0100, Roger Tonkin
wrote:

In article ,
says...

On 2010-07-26 21:38:34 +0100, Roger Tonkin
said:


I am growing these this year in mid Wales for the first time. i
have two different varieties, with a good crop on each, but......

How do I know when they are ripe and ready to pick?

At the moment I have them varying from a pinkish green thought to
slate blue.

Thanks

Roger T

Try tasting the darker ones.

Tried that, they are very bland, not much taste, but then never
having bothered with Blueberries before, I must confest that I dont
know what they are supposed to taste like!


They vary a lot depending on variety. They reach their tastiest stage
a day or two before they go soggy! Pick them when they are just a bit
soft.

To me, they taste like artificial flavouring --the kind of thing
Americans seem to like, but otherwise a waste of effort unless you have
to find something to grow on an acid soil. Oh, but I now remember they
do actually go nicely in the same mouthful as a piece of dark chocolate,
so I imagine a very good tart could be devised...googles...

I find, of course, that I'm not the first to combine them: here's a cake
from NZ.
http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=...ocolate%20cake

But I fancy mixing the berries, lightly cooked, into a good old tarte au
chocolat like this one:
http://frenchfood.about.com/od/desserts/r/choctart.htm

--
Mike.

"Mike Lyle" wrote
Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
Roger Tonkin wrote:
sacha says...
Roger Tonkin said:
I am growing these this year in mid Wales for the first time. i
have two different varieties, with a good crop on each, but......

How do I know when they are ripe and ready to pick?

At the moment I have them varying from a pinkish green thought to
slate blue.


Try tasting the darker ones.

Tried that, they are very bland, not much taste, but then never
having bothered with Blueberries before, I must confest that I dont
know what they are supposed to taste like!


They vary a lot depending on variety. They reach their tastiest stage
a day or two before they go soggy! Pick them when they are just a bit
soft.

To me, they taste like artificial flavouring --the kind of thing Americans
seem to like, but otherwise a waste of effort unless you have to find
something to grow on an acid soil. Oh, but I now remember they do actually
go nicely in the same mouthful as a piece of dark chocolate, so I imagine
a very good tart could be devised...googles...

I find, of course, that I'm not the first to combine them: here's a cake
from NZ.
http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=...ocolate%20cake

But I fancy mixing the berries, lightly cooked, into a good old tarte au
chocolat like this one:
http://frenchfood.about.com/od/desserts/r/choctart.htm


Lovely first thing in the morning on top of your "proper" porridge made with
rolled oats (no salt or sugar) with a little cinnamon and some broken walnut
kernels.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

On Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:44:59 +0100, Sacha wrote:

On 2010-07-27 13:57:58 +0100, Roger Tonkin said:

In article , says...

On 2010-07-26 21:38:34 +0100, Roger Tonkin said:


I am growing these this year in mid Wales for the first time. i have two
different varieties, with a good crop on each, but......

How do I know when they are ripe and ready to pick?

At the moment I have them varying from a pinkish green thought to slate
blue.

Thanks

Roger T

Try tasting the darker ones.

Tried that, they are very bland, not much taste, but then never having
bothered with Blueberries before, I must confest that I dont know what
they are supposed to taste like!

Roger T

I don't know what home grown taste like as we've only planted some this
year and not harvested any yet. But shop bought ones are a curious
mixture of a tart and sweet flavour at the same time and I think they
have a real depth of flavour. Of course, it may be that they need
more sun than we have here in UK most of the time, to make them truly
sweet-tasting.

That mixture of sweet and tart is probably because some are unripe.
When you grow your own you can be more selective. They are delicious
on cereal.

Pam in Bristol

In my search for alders which will bear seeds which could be used as a
cereal crop, I have found trees which are steps on the way in other
directions, for example trees which have whole branches which carry no
leaves but lots of cones.

So, I have tried to take cuttings of these trees. But alder doesn't
take cuttings easily. Not like willows!

Can anybody advise me on how to take cuttings of alder?

Michael Bell


--

In message , Michael
Bell writes
In my search for alders which will bear seeds which could be used as a
cereal crop, I have found trees which are steps on the way in other
directions, for example trees which have whole branches which carry no
leaves but lots of cones.

One hypothesis as to why a branch is carrying lots of cones but no
leaves is that the branch has died since the cones were produced. Such a
hypothesis would explain a failure of cuttings from such branches to
take. Have you excluded that hypothesis?

So, I have tried to take cuttings of these trees. But alder doesn't
take cuttings easily. Not like willows!

Can anybody advise me on how to take cuttings of alder?

Michael Bell



--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

In message
Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote:

In message , Michael
Bell writes
In my search for alders which will bear seeds which could be used as a
cereal crop, I have found trees which are steps on the way in other
directions, for example trees which have whole branches which carry no
leaves but lots of cones.

One hypothesis as to why a branch is carrying lots of cones but no
leaves is that the branch has died since the cones were produced. Such a
hypothesis would explain a failure of cuttings from such branches to
take. Have you excluded that hypothesis?

The same branch has produced a fresh crop of cones this year. So I
think it's a goer.

Michael Bell


--

Michael Bell wrote:
In message
Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote:

In message , Michael
Bell writes
In my search for alders which will bear seeds which could be used
as a cereal crop, I have found trees which are steps on the way in
other directions, for example trees which have whole branches which
carry no leaves but lots of cones.

One hypothesis as to why a branch is carrying lots of cones but no
leaves is that the branch has died since the cones were produced.
Such a hypothesis would explain a failure of cuttings from such
branches to take. Have you excluded that hypothesis?

The same branch has produced a fresh crop of cones this year. So I
think it's a goer.

I'm getting peculiar feelings about this alder initiative...

--
Mike.

In message
"Mike Lyle" wrote:

Michael Bell wrote:
In message
Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote:

In message , Michael
Bell writes
In my search for alders which will bear seeds which could be used
as a cereal crop, I have found trees which are steps on the way in
other directions, for example trees which have whole branches which
carry no leaves but lots of cones.

One hypothesis as to why a branch is carrying lots of cones but no
leaves is that the branch has died since the cones were produced.
Such a hypothesis would explain a failure of cuttings from such
branches to take. Have you excluded that hypothesis?

The same branch has produced a fresh crop of cones this year. So I
think it's a goer.

I'm getting peculiar feelings about this alder initiative...

"Peculiar feelings"!? Is it a doctor or a psychiatrist you need?

Michael Bell

--

Michael Bell wrote:
In message
"Mike Lyle" wrote:

Michael Bell wrote:
In message
Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote:

In message ,
Michael Bell writes
In my search for alders which will bear seeds which could be used
as a cereal crop, I have found trees which are steps on the way in
other directions, for example trees which have whole branches
which carry no leaves but lots of cones.

One hypothesis as to why a branch is carrying lots of cones but no
leaves is that the branch has died since the cones were produced.
Such a hypothesis would explain a failure of cuttings from such
branches to take. Have you excluded that hypothesis?

The same branch has produced a fresh crop of cones this year. So I
think it's a goer.

I'm getting peculiar feelings about this alder initiative...

"Peculiar feelings"!? Is it a doctor or a psychiatrist you need?

I hope neither of us needs either..!

--
Mike.

"Michael Bell" wrote in message
. uk...
In my search for alders which will bear seeds which could be used as a
cereal crop, I have found trees which are steps on the way in other
directions, for example trees which have whole branches which carry no
leaves but lots of cones.

So, I have tried to take cuttings of these trees. But alder doesn't
take cuttings easily. Not like willows!

Can anybody advise me on how to take cuttings of alder?

Michael Bell


--

Been having problems with my News reader not sending posts, can you confirm
you got the email I sent you?