The Texas BBQ Forum

My wife has heaps of strawberry plants fruiting ATM, our raspberries are about 6 weeks away, I make jam out of both and also coulis for desserts. My family love the home made factor, they reckon the taste is best. Any gardeners make their own stuff?????

Russ

I don't anymore but my son does (and we help) elderberry, rhubarb, strawberry, blackberry, gooseberry. Good stuff.
Oops forgot the raspberries.

Strawberry, blueberry, and peach jams, fig preserves, and mayhaw jelly.

I used to, Pard, but not any more - - - matter of fact when we lived in the Hill Country we even made some Prickly Pear Jelly and it was very very good. Mostly it was peach and pear preserves and every now and then Hot Pepper Jelly but now that I've got Suckle Buster's, don't even have to make that. When the Family was closer and in and out a lot then it was worth it but not any more.

Plum & Mayhaw

Ok I'm off to giggle mayhew.

Russ

Ok, taste is like what ? Cross between red currant and raspberry???

Russ

MAYHAW Crataegus aestivalis "Applehaw'- These hardy trees produce fruit in spring. The trees are extremely adaptable to soil type, and can stand both occassional flooding and drought. They are also relatively disease resistant. While they tolerate freezes to minus 40F, they flower very early and the flowers are liable to be frosted. The fruit are usually red, carried in clusters, and about an inch/25mm in diameter. The flavor is politely described as 'wild', but they are palatable.
'Super Spur' produces prodigous quatities of fruit on a heavily spurring tree-a well established tree may produce as much as 80 gallons!
'Texas Star' has intense red berries and is a late blooming variety.
'Royalty' is also lateblooming and it's with showy white flowers are over an inch/25mm in diameter.
'Gem' is late blooming and has a concentrated fruit ripening.
Turkey apple-the largest fruit of the mayhaws, and the fruit mature in autumn, not spring.

Ok I'm learning and I like. I'll ring my local plant guy and see if they have them.

Russ

Wow, Rambo, Mayhaw is something I haven't thought of since my childhood and the Lufkin area should be prime Mayhaw country. My Exes family in the Big Thicket of East Texas use to make that and every now and then we'd score a jar but mostly we had to get it from roadside vendors, along Hwy 59 between Cleveland Tx and Lufkin, that you would occasionally see during the season.

I’m with OUP…my MeeMaw made some mean Mahaw (tongue twister) when I was growing up in Longview


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Russ wrote:My wife has heaps of strawberry plants fruiting ATM, our raspberries are about 6 weeks away, I make jam out of both and also coulis for desserts. My family love the home made factor, they reckon the taste is best. Any gardeners make their own stuff?????

Russ

Yup! This year we had so many grapes and blackberries I couldn't use them all. I froze some of the pulp. But I still added an apple, some lime or lemon peel, and this year a few black plums.

We give about half away and use the rest ourselves.

I too give a lot away. Nearly got enough strawberries to make first batch of jam.

Russ

Just picked this one, teaspoon so you get size of this strawberry. So tasty compared to store bought.



Russ

We've tried for years, but the squirrels always get any strawberries we grow.

Sailor Kenshin wrote:We've tried for years, but the squirrels always get any strawberries we grow.

We are fighting the birds ATM, wife's just put screen mesh over our plants. 4 days ago it was birds 5 and me 1. Only lost 1 today and froze 4. We don't have squirrels here. But I love the critters, seen them in the UK and Vancouver.

Russ