Greengages are one example of a gage – the yellow gages are equally good.
yellow-gage
Gages are a type of plum but are smaller, rounder and sweeter than dessert plums. Gages are very, very juicy.
greengage-with-stalk
Gages are more tender than most plums and prefer to be grown against a south wall.
Greengages make excellent jam.
There are four signs which tell if Victoria Plums are ready to pick:
victoria-plums
ripe&unripe-plum
The plum on the left of the picture is not quite ripe. It is greener than the plum on the left which has turned more yellowy as it has ripened.
ripe plum with loose stone
If the stone is still firmly attached to the flesh and difficult to separate, the plum is not ripe. The photo below is of the green plum in the picture above. The stone would not come away from the flesh.
unripe plum cut
Victoria plums do not all ripen at once, so they are not all ready to pick at the same time & the tree is usually picked several times.
We left a flower of rhubarb on the plant in the vegetable garden so that it could develop into a head of seed.
rhubarb-flower
rhubarb-seed-head
rhubarb-seed
The usual way to get a new rhubarb plant is to replant a piece cut off the crown (or root). It will take a long time to establish a useful rhubarb plant from a seed.
When is the right time to pick pears? Pears will ripen according to variety, weather and location.
picking-pearsPears are ready to pick when they are:
pick-pearPears should never be allowed to ripen on the tree because:
Pears ripen best off the tree.
Jargonelle is an early variety of pear which is ready in early August, Beth is usually picked in late August.
Gorham & Merton Pride ripen in early September. Beurre Hardy & Onward ripen mid-September. Beurre Superfin, Conference, Durondeau, Fertility Improved, Seckle, Thompsons & Louise Bonne de Jersey ripen at the end of September.
Williams‘ Bon Chretien are usually picked in September.
Doyenne du Comice, Packham’s Triumph & Josephine de Malines are ripe in mid-October. The time to pick Concorde & Winter Nelis, late pears, is the end of October.
T
Raspberries are picked by pulling them gently off the stalk so that the white hull is left behind, attached to the stalk. The raspberries will come off easily when ripe. If they do not leave the stalk easily they are not ready to be picked.
glen ample
Method of Picking Raspberries:
The following two photos show before & after picking. ‘Before’ has the raspberry on the stem; ‘after’ shows the whitish hull left on the stalk, after the raspberry has been picked.
rasp-before-picking
raspberry-hull
It is important to handle the raspberries very gently, so that they remain fresh and nutritious after picking.
Picking strawberries is an art, if the strawberries are to remain bright and unbruised.
ElsantaStrawberry
The aim is to :
strawberry-60dayElsanta
The method of picking strawberries:
PickedStrawberry
Strawberries are very tender & bruise easily. Once bruised they will start to deteriorate and rot . Bruised strawberries loose their bright appearance and the colour darkens.
The strawberry must not be held in the fingers and pulled off the strawberry bush, because the pressure of the fingers on the berry will bruise it. It is important to pick strawberries with the hull intact by breaking the stalk!
Strawberry walls are superseding table top strawberries as a growing technique.
ripening-strawberries
Agrovista exhibited their vertical strawberry wall at Fruit Focus last week. The big advantages of a vertical strawberry wall are:
A Strawberry wall would look great on a balcony & strawberry walls are definitely the way forward for gardeners who are short of space.
Black Butte is a new blackberry variety from America which is famous for its very large berries.
Black-Butte-blackberry
Black Butte berries are:
Black Butte blackberry plants are :
Black Butte is an early season variety of blackberry which is highly recommended.
Table top strawberries have proved to be pest free – slugs cannot climb up to the table tops, & fungi do not like to be in such an exposed position!
TableTopStrawberries
Not having to bend to pick the strawberries is an added bonus. Click this link to read about a Pick Your Own Grower who was surprised to discover how popular his table-top strawberries were!
The cherries are ripe and we have a huge crop this year.
cherries
Now is the time for a cherry clafoutis - my favourite pudding! Easy to make – but it does not use many of the ripe cherries!
ripe-cherries
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