IT'S BERRY SEASON!
By: Tamara Scully
Strawberry shortcake? Huckleberry pie? Red-raspberry sauce on fudge brownies? Or maybe some homemade black cherry ice cream? Blueberry pancakes to start /Fruit/raspberries2.jpg)
the day? All of these good eats can be yours-starting now- as we enter into berry season here in northern New Jersey.
The berries of summer are here! Beginning in June, with the strawberries and cherries, and July with raspberries and blueberries and blackberries New Jersey offers up a bounty of berries. Pick a lot and freeze a bunch and all year round you can have Jersey Fresh and delicious berries for pies, breads, muffins, syrups and jams.
PYO strawberries abound on local farms now and usually stop in early July. But some type of strawberries do yield fruit all summer. These everbearing strawberries are well-suited to home growing, while PYO farms usually rely on the heavy-bearing June varieties for a plentiful crop for a shorter duration of harvest, but a heavier overall yield.
Cherries begin ripening in June. Sweet cherries are available in early to mid- June, and sour from mid-June to the end of the month, in general. Be forewarned that cherry season is short- even when farmers plant many varieties to extend the picking time- and is here and gone quickly.
Summer raspberries and blueberries quickly follow on the heels of the strawberries as well. Summer black raspberries are only available for a very short time around the 4 th of July, while reds are here until mid-late July. Blueberries, too, start around late June and can go through July, depending on varieties planted.
Blackberries start in mid-July for a few weeks harvest. Other berries, which are /Fruit/blackberries2.jpg)
rarely available commercially, include mulberries and gooseberries, both of which yield June-July crops and can be found in the wild, along roadsides and in many home gardens. The invasive Japanese wineberry bears raspberry-like berries in July and has become a common site in woodlands, fields and roadsides. The berries are delicious. The plant is a problem, crowding out native plants and disturbing ecosystems.
Keep in mind that harvesting a crop of berries is very weather-dependent. If it has been rainy, mold and rot can reduce strawberry or raspberry yields until the plants dry out. Cherries can develop cracks when excessively wet. It is always best to call ahead for picking conditions when visiting a PYO farm. Remember, go as soon as conditions are good and you are able to get there. While local farmers plant several varieties to extend the season, the season is still short, yet very sweet.
Take advantage of in-season JERSEY FRESH produce. Chilean or California cherries and strawberries seen frequently in supermarkets now have been picked days ago and shipped hundreds of miles . Isn’t fresh fruit from your local farm stand or PYO farm worth a bit of an effort and a whole lot of fun!
Even if you don’t wish to pick the fruit yourself, local farmers offer freshly-picked, Jersey Grown produce at many farm stands throughout our region. Always ask where your fruit was grown, and choose locally-grown first!
Visit: http://ifplantscouldtalk.rutgers.edu/pyo/ to see a listing of PYO farms by county. Always call ahead before planning a visit!
Visit: http://www.state.nj.us/jerseyfresh/ to search for roadside farms offering Jersey Fresh produce in your area.
