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labruscagrape - Re: [OFEX] red currants

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Subject: Ontario Fruit Explorers

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  • From: "Biz Storms" <biz.storms@sympatico.ca>
  • To: "'Ontario Fruit Explorers'" <labruscagrape@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [OFEX] red currants
  • Date: Sat, 3 Jun 2006 04:06:35 -0400

Hi Tom,

A thimbleberry is actually a shrub that is related to the raspberry family -
but the berries are larger and softer that a raspberry. Their name is a
reflection of the thimble shape of the berry. Even better, they don't have
thorns. Mine are now about three to four feet in height and width, but
should grow a little bigger. They are a lovely looking shrub with bright
green leaves in the early part of the summer, that darken a bit by the end
of summer.

I have also played around with blackberries, and bought some Illini Hardy
last year. Due to lack of attention only about 8 of the 25 survived. They
seem to be more manageable for us since you can top them around 30 inches
and they supposedly stay upright and fairly neat in habit. We'll have to
see. A friend has a bramble patch - mote like a thicket - or something she
call trailing dewberries, and I'm going to get some cuttings from her this
autumn, hopefully.

Tom, is your "ground hugging" red currant actually a variety called "cherry"
or is it a Red Lake? If you have chipmunks in your area, they're going to
absolutely love hanging out at your place. You won't even see the little
devils, just be able to watch the branches jiggle a bit.

Cheers, Bizmark


-----Original Message-----
From: labruscagrape-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:labruscagrape-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Thomas Olenio
Sent: 31 May 2006 08:47
To: Ontario Fruit Explorers
Subject: Re: [OFEX] red currants


Hello,

Are thimbleberries more commonly known as blackberries?

Are yours trailing or upright?

I had some tailing blackberries a number of years back. Very tasty but
not very productive.

When picked you ended up with a hollow, thimble shaped fruit, that removed
from the stem plug.

My red currants were upright... until this year. The Red Lake, red
currant is still upright, it is only the "Cherry" red currant that is down
on the ground.

All it's leaves have now re-oriented to the sun.

Later,
Tom


On Wed, 31 May 2006 09:16:02 -0400, Biz Storms <biz.storms@sympatico.ca>
wrote:

> Good morning folks,
>
>
> Spent the day at the farm yesterday, trying to get ahead of the grass
> before
> it gets too long to mow. I think I have samples of every bug bite
> imaginable, plus a new little chomper that swells up beautifully. Our
> black
> currant bushes are also exploding with fruit - lots more than last year.
> Ours seem to be pollinated the most by bumblebees. This year they must
> have
> arrived at odd hours using stealth mode, since we rarely noticed them
> around. Looks like our cassis supply will increase by large amounts this
> coming December.
>
> We had also purchased one of the "giant" black currant variety's from
> MacFayden Nurseries a few years back, and it grew like a normal size
> variety
> for the last three years. It has now exploded in size and is also heavily
> laden with fruit. Since the branches are more sturdy than the clove
> currant,
> it has a more porcupine appearance. It also ripens a bit later than the
> others, with larger berries. I wish I had recorded the name before my
> best
> half tossed the packaging.
>
> As for the bees, both our hives made it successfully through the winter,
> and
> when we removed the medicated strips two weekends ago, they had just
> about
> stocked both the upper and lower hives with honey. We put honey supers on
> both and they have extremely busy with them. With all this heat and
> massive
> amounts of dandelions, lilacs and the early bloomers like the Nanking
> Cherry
> and the Saskatoon berries - it has been a great year for early honey. I'm
> predicting our earliest year so far to have to haul out the extractor.
>
> For those of you with apples, I'd love to hear how your pollination went
> with this wacky freezing to heat wave weather. We have some varieties
> that
> will not produce a single fruit this year, since bloom coincided with the
> chill two weekends ago and the rain and wind blew off or destroyed the
> blooms. Alternatively, most of the crabs bloomed early, as they tend to
> do,
> and the Dolgo, Chestnut, Geneva, Trail and Scugog crabs are covered with
> fruitlets. Strangely, the Centennial and a few others are more hit and
> miss.
> Hopefully we can start bagging in another week or two when rowing season
> ends. I have become envious of other sporting parents, since they tend to
> not have to get up at 4:30 in the morning to get the kids to the water
> for a
> practice before school every day. On the other hand, we know where our
> daughter is on Friday nights - in bed at 8:30 !
>
> Going back to apples, we seem to be under attack by the leaf rollers -
> anyone else experiencing this? Also, early growth on the apple trees this
> year is awesome. Again, way ahead of the last few years. Is this
> happening
> on other fruit varieties?
>
> One final question. Does anyone have Thimbleberries? Mine are now four
> years
> old and doing absolutely nothing. Maybe I have a bunch of eunuchs, but
> for
> all their size, there's been no fruit. Much ado about nothing, so far.
>
>
> Well, must dash. Cheers, Bizmark.
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: labruscagrape-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
> [mailto:labruscagrape-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of John
> Barbowski
> Sent: 28 May 2006 17:09
> To: labruscagrape@lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: Re: [OFEX] red currants
>
>
> My currents (red and black) are too young for comparison. The have a
> reasonable fruit set.
>
> Pears are good, apples are very good, apricots average, blackberries
> appear
> to good, strawberries are very good, cherries (sweet) are average,
> peaches
> are good, jostaberry is sparse (still a young shrub - 3rd yr) and grapes
> are
> very good (young vine).
>
> jb
>
>
> _____
>
>
> From: "Thomas Olenio" <tolenio@sentex.net>
> Reply-To: Ontario Fruit Explorers <labruscagrape@lists.ibiblio.org>
> To: "labruscagrape@lists.ibiblio.org" <labruscagrape@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Subject: [OFEX] red currants
> Date: Sun, 28 May 2006 17:06:03 -0400
>>
>> Hello All,
>>
>> My red currants are going gang busters this year. They are laying on
>> the
>> ground with a ton of green fruit.
>>
>> Anyone else seeing this?
>>
>> The variety in question is "Cherry" red currant. Usually, they are
>> upright, but this year they are ground dwelling, pulled down with fruit.
>>
>> This is much to early for this. Makes mowing a pain.
>>
>> Later,
>> Tom
>> --
>> ============
>>
>>
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>



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