| Archive for countrytalkandtips.myfreeforum.org ........................ smallholding, crafts and country life ................................................... IN IRELAND ....................................................... |
| blowin |
fuschia berriesThe fruit of this common bush is edible . I have only tried them once . The texture was quite unusual , sort of crisp , very nice but with absolutely no flavour .I am told that some varieties produce sweet fruit . These tend to be the ones with the hybridised / fancy flowers . And I'm after a couple of cuttings .... 
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| wayland |
I have heard thet they are fine to eat. My O/H has many such bushes. I must do the rounds.
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| admin |
Re: fuschia berries
Having just looked in the Irish-English Translations thread I had better clarify that comment  : I haven't just taken a couple of cuttings . I would like to obtain some . 
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| wayland |
Immigrents!
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| GB |
having worked in a garden center I can reliably say that every bl**dy color and variety produces a different tasting berry some are really nice, some are totally tasteless and some have a very unpleasant aftertaste. Your best bet is to taste every bush you come across, altho I did find that the uglier the flower (the big frilly white ones spring to mind) the nicer the berry. And most garden centers wont be too worried about a branch or two wandering out with you. But do try to ask first
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| blowin |
Just bringing this back to the top as I would really like to get hold of a cutting from one of the tasty ones .
Not that I am suggesting we descend on the garden centres like a swarm of locusts , of course ! |
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| GB |
 why not?
And when the berries are ripe why not start visiting a few stately homes and gardens? Just sample as you go and if you find one to your taste just ask a member of staff (here I laugh histaricly ) for a cutting. I have never been refused yet although finding a person to ask is harder than finding a berry thats nice
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| Moonwaves |
I'm obviously very unobservant because I've never noticed berries on a fuchsia before. Have smallish one with light pink/dark pink middle in the back garden and a dark pink/very dark pink middle in front. When do the berries appear? Am happy to volunteer my little brother to taste for you and send cuttings if you want. Can you post twigs? | ||
| Camile |
We've got massive ones around here ..
can't remember at what time of the year they fruit though . I'll try them tonight and see what they taste like .. Camile |
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| GB |
am happy to volunteer my little brother as taste tester
late summer and autumn are the times for berries and make sure they are ripe as they have a base of tongue gack sort of after-taste if not ripe |
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| blowin |
I had been looking for them for ages before I found any . I had it in mind that they would be a round , red-to-dark , berry . I don't know where I got that idea from but they aren't ! They actually look very much like a flower bud which hasn't yet opened . I found it quite difficult to tell the one thing from the other at any distance so I guess I must have walked straight past loads of them . I don't see any reason why cuttings shouldn't be sent by post . A bit of damp cotton wool held onto the cut end with a wrap of clingfilm would be good but probably not essential if it was semi-ripe or hard wood . I'll set up a separate thread under the "Exchange" section . |
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| GB |
place your cuttings in a ziplock bag with a damp - not wet - sheet or two of kitchen towel. Blow the bag full of air before sealing and post. They will probably loose all their leaves but should root just fine for all of that.
good luck |
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| blowin |
Well, I still can't find any more !
Should they be ready yet ? Is it worth making a trip to the garden centre ? 
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| GB |
berries should be ready round about now
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| wayland |
Ours are still well in flower. | ||
| GB |
the nice thing about fucia is that they do berries and flowers at the same time but the fruit tends to look ALOT like un-opened flower buds so a close look is required, and sometimes a bit of disection
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| quarryman |
We have a beautiful mature fucia and our 10 Old English x has managed to eat most of the berries within a couple of feet of the ground. So they must be good. Blowin, come down and take a few cuttings whenever you want.
[We also have a fucia growing out of a crook in a beech tree.] |
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| Moonwaves |
PM me with your address if you'd like me to attempt sending cuttings from the ones I have. | ||
| gardener |
If you're still looking for cuttings of the edible fuchsia Future Forests, Kealkil would be able to help - theres a clump of it growing there and they could post some on......
027 66176 or www.futureforests.net |
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| Camile |
Hi Blowin,
I just had a look at our fuschias and there are plenty of berries on them . Feel free to come and help yourself with some cuttings .. PS: I think my tree will go down sooner than expected
Camile |
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| blowin |
I don't mean to look a gift-horse in the mouth but , er , would you mind tasting one for me ?
( Good news about the tree . I had heard a whisper to that effect . Bloomin' difficult to find a reliable workman , isn't it  ) .
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| Camile |
Top of the morning ..
I jus went out and tried one ... not much taste to them yet but maybe then need to mature a bit more because they aren't too plump yet ... Camile |
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| blowin |
Just bringing this back to the top because I really would like to get hold of a cutting which will produce sweet berries
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| quarryman |
Blowin, your OH will be here on Friday so she can check ours. Sally, our dog, has eaten most of the berries that are within reach, so that must be a good sign...
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