North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Stephen Sadler" <Docshiva@Docshiva.org>]

I also wonder if it could be timing?  I've had fruit with color and weight
that implies that it's ripe, but it's not really palatable until quite some
time after, at which point it sweetens up.

~ Stephen

-----Original Message-----
From: nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of dwoodard@becon.org
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2008 11:08 AM
To: North American Fruit Explorers
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Hypothesis needed

My guess would be genetic variation in a wild species.

While I suspect it's not your problem, the European species looks very
similar, likes similar habitat, and is foul-tasting. One species has
club-shaped glands on the leaf stems; the other glands shaped like saucers
or shallow cups; I forget which is which, but the textbooks should tell
you. People with good eyesight can distinguish them with the naked eye,
otherwise you may need a magnifying glass. You might want to check when
the leaves are out and see if there is any difference in these leaf stem
glands.

Doug Woodard
St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada


>     I need everyone's best guess as to what might cause bitterness in
> fruit
> (and, possibly how to correct the problem):  I harvest Highbush
> Cranberries
> (Viburnum trilobum) from six places.
> 1. Swampy area between a lake and high ground.  These are understory
> bushes,
> perhaps as many as 100 of them, getting filtered sunlight and peeks of
> direct sun.  Their roots are constantly in saturated ground.  These
> berries
> have a musky taste, are otherwise pleasant and make excellent jelly.
> 2. Two bushes at the edge of a lake with surface water 2 to 3' down.
> Berries taste great and make excellent jelly.
> 3. Two bushes in front of an office building near a creek with surface
> water
> about 7' down.  Berries taste great and make good jelly.
> 4. Large bush in my neighbor's front yard.  Water table unknown.  Berries
> taste great and make good jelly.
> 5. Bitter berries from a small thicket in the woods with water table
> unknown.  Jelly is bitter.
> 6. Bitter berries from my orchard.  Bushes obtained from two nurseries,
> one
> in Minnesota and the other from North Dakota.  Planted 2' above hardpan
> clay
> where water pools after a rain plus receives some irrigation water.  Jelly
> is bitter.
>
> Jim Fruth
> Brambleberry Farm
> Pequot Lakes, MN  56472
> For jams, jellies & syrups:
> www.bberryfarm.com
> (877)265-6856 [Store]
> (218)831-7018 [My Cell]


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