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  • From: "TxBeeFarmer" <TxBeeFarmer AT HotPop.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Blackberry Questions
  • Date: Sun, 14 May 2006 07:28:25 -0500

Howdy Willie,

I think my berries are doing reasonably well. This is their first year to bear, so not sure what to expect. As you know, the upright canes are not so upright the first year. Have had some difficulty keeping them off the ground. The wind broke some and some froze. Last year I wasn't as diligent as I should have been in trimming the tips, so now they're too long. Since they're not upright, they droop and have to be supported. My latest struggle is putting bird netting over the rows. Not too difficult, but it takes a lot of fiddling to get it right. That netting is the "snaggiest" stuff I've ever seen! It snags on everything - weeds, cloths buttons, your wrist watch, hats, the canes, anything and everything. Despite all the trials and tribulations, I might plant another couple of rows of the latest thornless variety next Spring. Oh, where do you get your boxes?

TxBeeFarmer
West Texas Zone 7b


Your rainwater irrigated berries are doing well?

As Bill suggests, it is best to sell them fresh if at all possible. We
sell some PYO; I find that not very satisfactory, everyone wants to
pick on Saturday and no one wants to pick on a rainy day.

Our PYO box is a waxed 5qt open top. We put old drip tape handles on
for picking or leave the handles off for sale of picked berries. Year
before last, I froze a bunch in the 5qt boxes, packed three in a
plastic vegetable case. Last year, I put them in plastic lined banana
boxes. The banana box deal is by far better. What did I do with them
after I got the frozen? you ask? Waited until my jelly processor could
turn them into jelly. The processor juiced them, but I don't know how.
Steam extraction?

Anyway, the jelly making is a real PITA. I have to haul the berries to
the "locker plant", about 50 miles, and then later haul the frozen
berries to my processor, maybe a hundred miles. Locker plant storage
costs at least $40/month/pallet. I think I did two pallets year before
last and 4 or 5 pallets last year. We got about 200 cases of 12 pints
of jelly last year.

I have kept 10 or 15 5qt boxes in a home type chest freezer for our own
use. I haven't washed them and haven't sealed them, though I do lay a
sheet of plastic over the top of the boxes of berries. The frozen
berry quality is good even after 10 months. We do offer the frozen 5qt
boxes at farmers markets, pre-ordered, but get few takers.

--
Willie, ONWARD! Through the fog!
http://counter.li.org Linux registered user #228836 since 1995
Debian3.0/GNU/Linux system uptime 56 days 3 hours 04 minutes





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