Raspberry Harvest
Originally uploaded by mefinx
Our fruit bushes are reaching their zenith. Despite the lack of direct sunshine, I'm picking morning and evening. We grow a raspberry variety called Malling Jewel and that's exactly what they look like - a little necklace strung across the horizontal supports, green with the occasional bright crimson accent.
Picking fruit, particularly fiddly, small crops like blackcurrants, which ripen in ones and twos rather than sprig by convenient sprig, is not a mentally demanding activity but you do need concentration. I can lose all sense of the passage at time when I'm deeply immersed in it, beyond the intention to stop when I've rescued just one more berry...An excellent cure for tension and overstimulation!
We're particularly pleased that the canes we thought we'd had to sacrifice when our new garage was built two years ago have survived the purge and come back stronger and more fruitful than ever. Since we planted a new lot in the front garden and they are also beginning to fruit, our freezer should be well stocked. I shall probably boil a few down into a rich coulis flavoured with raspberry liqueur and either serve it poured over plain ice cream or, if I'm feeling brave, try adding it to a batch at the last minute to make that childhood favourite, raspberry ripple.
I managed to miss a couple of gooseberries last time around and I discovered them today in their green and spiky glory. I think I'll leave them and see if they ripen sufficiently to be enjoyed direct from the bush.
I know what you mean about the raspberries, they seem to be ripening faster than I can pick them. But they are good....
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