Blackberries: Too Early? Late? Bad year?

   / Blackberries: Too Early? Late? Bad year? #1  

LD1

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This is only my second year picking black berries. Lastyear, on July 31st, I was able to pick 12lbs. Enough for 3 one-gallon batches of wine:D

This morning, a masly 4 lbs. Just enough for one batch. And I noticed too, that the average ripe berry size seemed a tad smaller than last year.

So what gives??

Was last year just a great year and this year is average?

Am I too early?

Too late?

Is this a bad year? Wet spring and hot dry summer?

George Bushes fault because of global warming:D J/K

But seriously, you guys that pick them every year, how are you doing this year?
 
   / Blackberries: Too Early? Late? Bad year? #2  
Our black berries are winding down. We're considerably farther north than central Ohio. With this summer's heat waves, I'd hazard a guess that the season came and ended a little earlier than last year. Nature follows a time schedule of her own making.
 
   / Blackberries: Too Early? Late? Bad year? #3  
In past years I have made my blackberry wine in five gallon batches. Did that last year, using seven gallons of berries I gathered over the season and froze. I have wild-type berries I planted myself as well as some tame thornless, but the wild ones have always out-produced the tame ones every year.

This year was a really, really bad blackberry year here. Early in July I picked a couple cups of berries, and was disappointed in what the crop looked like, but then the hot dry kicked in and the berries just gave up and the bearing canes died early. I plan to cut the whole patch down and let it start new, but that will wait until it gets back down into the 70s at least. If I'm going to bleed while cutting those canes at least I'm not also going to die of heat stroke.

Have you had rain and decent temps there, or have you been under this heat dome as they like to call it?

Chuck
 
   / Blackberries: Too Early? Late? Bad year?
  • Thread Starter
#4  
It's been really hot and dry.

IF I remember right, I think 14 out of the first 15 days in july were all 90+ degree days.

There were still a lot of small red berries on the vines, but about an equal amount to dried up ones. I'd probabally venture a guess:

33% dried up
33% red
33% ripe
 
   / Blackberries: Too Early? Late? Bad year? #5  
Out our way it has been cool, cloudy and damp this spring/summer and most crops are 2-4 weeks late. I do see some green berries starting so hopefully we get a few days of sun to get them ripe. Don't think we have had two consecutive days of sun yet this year. We are expecting cloud/showers/sun over the next 2-3 days. :mad:
 
   / Blackberries: Too Early? Late? Bad year? #6  
Ours are really just getting going good here in eastern Ohio. Haven’t really looked hard, but we go out over few nights and pick enough for my 2.5 year old and 1 year old to make a mess with. :) One batch was early and is done already, but most other batches on the farm are just getting ripe. Quality is quite good this year.
 
   / Blackberries: Too Early? Late? Bad year? #7  
Ours have been long gone...
Blackberries were done in May and "juneberries" were done in...June

On a side note, don't over indulge in them as they may give you severe constipation...ask me how I know :)
 
   / Blackberries: Too Early? Late? Bad year? #8  
Here in SC its way to late. Prolly still can find some but to late. My guess is moisture at the right time was your culprit, and not enough of it.
 
   / Blackberries: Too Early? Late? Bad year?
  • Thread Starter
#9  
Ours have been long gone...
Blackberries were done in May and "juneberries" were done in...June

On a side note, don't over indulge in them as they may give you severe constipation...ask me how I know :)

MAY :eek: You sure those werent black raspberries??

And I dont eat them. I make wine:drink:
 
   / Blackberries: Too Early? Late? Bad year? #10  
Most of mine go to wine, too. We make a few blackberry cobblers and such, and DW has made preserves sometimes, but we don't use much jelly, preserves, etc. Wine, on the other hand, just keeps getting more popular. I only have maybe 3-4 bottles of last years wine left. I made five gallons and kept feeding the yeast until it got too drunk to go on. I figure that wine is at least 15% alcohol. It is sweet but also tart, and for many folks is too tart straight, but it does make a good sangria.

Chuck

P.S. On one of the end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it threads there is discussion about what to have on hand. I figure alcoholic beverages would be better than gold!
 
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