Fruit Harvest

No Apples on any trees around perimeter/outside of village this year, only in sheltered gardens.

Birds ate all the Cherries from every tree before they were ripe.

The Cherry Plum harvest is abysmal, and birds are taking the few that grew before they're ripe enough to eat.

Very few, small Loganberries and Raspberries.

No Strawberries yet.

First of the wild Blackberries starting to ripen, they're now coming on so fast in the heatwave that it looks like it could be one of those years when they all come at once and are finished by the beginning of September. At least I can extract their juice and pasteurise it for winemaking a a later date.

 

We had a lot of blossom on our apple trees, a lot did set but fallen off because of the gails that we had. Now a lot more has fallen because it's too dry.

Got 1 cherry tree the same thing happened with that. 4 cherries left had to cover them because of the black birds.

Always have to cover my 23 blueberries that are in pots because of them and before they ripen.

There's nothing on the wild plums, so no jam making this year.

Got a lot of loganberries and raspberries.

@Scrungee can't you freeze the blackberries for your wine making?

 

As I pick 300lbs+ that would tie up lots valuable freezer space and as I wait for cooler conditions for a slower, steady fermentation, it would also be for a very long time, plus pulp fermentation of whole fruit takes up loads of space with buckets all over the place, followed by straining and dodging wine flies and inevitable spilt juice, all up which doesn't please Mrs Scrungee.

So I now steam juice extract in 18lb batches, up to 3 or 4 x 18lb batches at a time, all done outdoors very early in the morning on economy 7, then pasteurise in 750ml bottles (normally the following morning on Economy 7 again) that get stored in a shed until I need them for non-messy juice fermentation, poured straight into 6 gall fermenters.

 

@Scrungee i see, that's a lot better than freezing.

 

I like the sound of the blackcurrant @Logan, kind of kicking myself that I bought one, 'titania' from bnq a few months ago instead..

The raspberry God's have been kind to you @Kandy

It's looking very good with you all, in fact!

Beautiful plum tree @misterQ really like that.

@Scrungee how you coping with drought? If I remember correctly you don't have water on site either? Also how cone no strawberries, late croppers?

I've had a major glut of strawberries and I'm so glad mine are now going over.. this is just some of what's been picked. A load have been frozen too.



Blackcurrrants have done well.. there's still a few on the bushes I didn't manage to pick. Sorry there's a jumble in the pic.. it's the only one of the blackcurrants.



Raspberries are going good and so are the redcurrants. My mother has just had a go at stripping the bush.. think she failed to even pick a 1/5 of what's ripe!



Strawberry stuffs



Blackcurrant stuffs

 

Driving there with 40 galls of water in containers (got 25 that'll hold 112 galls), sometimes 3 times a day. I tip them into barrels (300 galls total capacity) then dip water cans in them.


P.S. Is that Strawberry juice in the swing top bottles? If it's been pasteurised and will be exposed to sunlight wrap with brown paper to prevent turning brown.

 

Ah snap, I've been driving it up too. I did manage to catch the bloke who lives in front and pinch his hosepipe to fill 20 barrels up (10 are are my plot neighbours) the other day mind, was very grateful so give him some fruit.
Yes it was strawberry juice, I didn't pasteurize as I knew it would be gone within 2 days but thanks for the tip

 

Picked more redcurrants
5lb 8oz off one bush.
All in the freezer, but might do some jam.

 

Also some blueberries 5oz
and blackberries 4oz.
Both to go on our breakfast

 

You do exceptionally well with your fruit harvests year on year @Logan ...very commendable

 

Thank you @BigC i do have a bit of a problem with the birds, but I still get a good harvest. No problems with wasps yet because the fruit is ripening earlier.

 

Hopefully my Red Berries will give a good harvest for us this year we dont need many lol but as you say @Logan the birds may have other ideas. I had sawfly larvae problem last year so I move the bird feeders a little closer...but that in itself may have been a juvenile mistake also hahahaha

 

@BigC the birds don't seem to be interested in the sawfly larvae.
It doesn't matter where you put the bird feeders, they're in the garden and that's it.
They did have a go at my loganberries this year. Last year they left them alone, so it all depends on the weather.

I freeze a lot of it,so I can use it later.
Good luck with your's.

 

Some fantastic harvests there folks

BigC, try neem soil for sawfly. No sawfly for past two years here on gooseberries. I used neem oil spray in autumn and seems very effective. Combined with spring pruning....to help create spurs, air and openess.

 

Thank you @verdun