Unusual Berries to Grow in the Garden
Unusual Berries to Grow in the Garden
Finding a rare berry is like traversing into an alternate dimension where quests are still predominant and black-scaled dragons lurk in the deepest parts of the dungeon. There’s a rhapsodic symphony of color and texture associated with even the most obscure of berries, often given humorous names (think olallieberries) that seem to come straight from a Roald Dahl storybook. Some days, a bowl of strawberries can seem bland, and truthfully, less than stellar.
This summer, at the height of berry season, go beyond the basic supermarket produce and try these uncommon edible berries that you’ve never heard of. Many of these berries can be cultivated in raised berry beds, which create the ideal environmental conditions for fruit to thrive. Whether you’re on a quest to sample the most notorious berries or seek to acquire more unusual fruit for your orchard, here’s some lesser-known berry varieties you can grow.
- Blueberry Pink Lemonade
A striking departure from the inky indigo of regular blueberries, this variety of blueberry produces fruit in a pretty shade of pale rouge with lemon tints. They do not have a defined blueberry taste, but rather, are said to possess the same sweetness of pink lemonade – a surefire crowd-pleaser. Along with being known as the prettiest blueberry, it’s also hailed as the most delicious. They are relatively easy to care for and can be grown in cottage gardens as a hedge.
Flavor: Floral taste with citrusy undertone.
- Tayberries
A relative of loganberries, tayberries are the result of a cross between raspberries and blackberries, with a unique, succulent flavor that makes them ideal for jams, jellies and pies. Instead of a continuous harvest, its productivity peaks in July. Although it’s considered hardier than summer raspberries, its growing habits are similar: it sends up canes in the first year, and fruit the following year.
Flavor: Aromatic berries with a sweet, tart flavor.
- Saskatoon Berries
North of the country line, saskatoon berries eke a modest existence in the Canadian frontiers; in the Americas they are known as serviceberries or juneberries. Despite its resemblance to blueberries, they’re more closely related to apples and hawthorns than other berries. Rich in nutrients and filled with heart-healthy flavonoids, saskatoons are great additions to pies.
Flavor: Nutty, earthy flavor that can be plain on its own, but tasty when combined with other pie ingredients, such as lemon juice.
- Elderberries
Medieval travelers that brave the European wilderness to find respite at a monastery might have encountered elderberries, currants, and other medieval fruits within the cloister walls. Deemed a weed in some areas and welcomed in others as a showy ornamental, elderberries are a plant with a long, varied history. The elderberry is a suckering plant that bears arching branches of lacy white flowers that develop into glossy, black berries. Unripe berries are mildly toxic (as are other parts of the plant), and even when ripe, are best consumed cooked.
Flavor: A dark flavor that can be bitter, often made into jellies with other fruits.
- Olallieberries
Olallieberries are a melting pot, developed from a cross between a Loganberry and Youngberry, which are hybrids themselves. They have the trappings of a blackberry, but with a deeper, winey flavor. They are predominantly grown in parts of Central California, where they have become a cult classic in niche circles.
Flavor: A tart flavor reminiscent of blackberries, used to enhance savory desserts.
- Goji Berries
A novelty berry that’s found its place in acai bowls and supplements, goji berries have long been used in traditional Chinese medicine. In Tibet, where they’re grown in chemical-free conditions thought to be superior, they’re revered as the key to longevity. Goji berries are best planted in orchards or berry patches alongside other berry crops. Remarkably drought hardy, they’re prolific growers that respond well to trellising, with a versatility that allows them to feel right at home in a variety of disparate landscapes, whether in a homegrown hedge or a xeriscape garden.
Flavor: Often dried and sprinkled into cold desserts; tart, like a cranberry.
- Blue Honeysuckle (Honeyberries)
Devotees of honeysuckle can relish in the funnel-shaped berries produced by the blue honeysuckle, a type of fruiting honeysuckle. In mid-spring, wispy tendrils of small blooms dwell languidly on the branches, drawing in bees, and in summer, an abundance of berries arrive. Birds will surveil branches for fruit, so be sure to set up netting to keep them away.
Flavor: Sweet-sour taste of blueberry and raspberry, with a hint of blackcurrant.
- Lingonberries
Every trip to Ikea deserves a stop at the food court, where it’s more than likely you’ve become acquainted with the sweet-sour taste of lingonberries. Recalling to mind cranberries, lingonberries are sprightly red berries that figure prominently in Scandinavian cuisine – a dinner of Swedish meatballs would be amiss without a side of lingonberry sauce. Lingonberries will typically have two fruiting seasons, in late summer and then in late fall.
Flavor: An acidic taste similar to cranberries, but less tart.
- Jostaberry
Another forgotten fruit that languishes in obscurity, jostaberries stem from a unique heritage: a complex-cross involving two gooseberry species and a black currant. It’s not the most ornamental of berries, bearing a crop of dull, purplish fruit, but it’s extremely vigorous – able to fare well in mediocre conditions. It’s commonly synthesized into a rich, intensely-flavored jam that pairs well with scones and other buttery desserts.
Flavor: An intermediate between a gooseberry (sour grape) and black currant.
- Huckleberry
The name of the titular character in Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, huckleberries have firmly cemented themselves in American culture as a wild, hippy-dippy fruit. Like the character, it resists domestication; these grown in the garden are not true huckleberries, but garden huckleberries (Solanum), an edible form of the deadly nightshade weed. In the past, colonial foragers would venture into the wilds to forage for huckleberries, which often turned into a communal activity. Huckleberries thrive in recently burned areas high in soil acidity – Native Americans used controlled burns to rejuvenate wild stands.
Flavor: Like a blueberry, but with a wilder flavor.
