Adding "Unusual Fruits" to Your Garden
Nourse Farms offers home gardeners a chance to grow gooseberries, currants, and purple, gold, and yellow raspberries—delicious "unusual fruits" that don't commonly make it to the grocery store shelves! Have you ever wondered why you don't typically find these berries in your grocery store?
Undiscovered Gems
The USDA Economic Research Service reports that apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, and strawberries were the top five fruits available for consumption in 2021.
The USDA Economic Research Service also reports that the three most available berries are strawberries, cranberries, and blueberries.
Due to their limited consumer awareness, gooseberries, currants, and purple, gold, and yellow raspberries rarely appear in grocery stores. However, these fruits are undiscovered gems! If people could taste these "unusual fruits," we're confident that their popularity and demand would soar!
Transport Challenges
Our "unusual fruits" store best when refrigerated as quickly as possible after harvest. Their need for cool storage after harvesting makes commercial handling and transport more challenging. However, a shorter shelf life is no problem for the home gardener—you get to eat them fresh after picking or soon after!
Historical Restrictions
In the early 1900s, ribes were banned in many U.S. states because they were hosts for the white pine blister rust fungus, significantly impacting white pine populations in North America. By the late 20th century, bans were largely lifted as research showed new disease management avenues. While the ban was lifted in some places, ribes have not had a massive resurgence in popularity.
(Some local restrictions still apply, so please check with your local extension office for local regulations before planting ribes.)
Don't let the reasons grocery stores don't often carry these "unusual fruits" deter you from growing your own! There are so many reason to grow a variety of berry plants in your backyard or garden:
Educational Opportunity
Enhance your gardening skills by experimenting with new fruit-growing techniques. Have you already mastered strawberries? It's time to try out currants and gooseberries!
When you share your bountiful harvest with family, friends, and your neighbors, you bring a conversation starter. "Unusual fruits" may spark curiosity and excitement about growing and consuming different fruits. It may be their first time trying these fruits, and you'd be the reason!
Gorgeous Garden
Currants, gooseberries, and purple, gold, and yellow raspberries offer a beautiful aesthetic with their unique leaf shapes and vibrant bloom colors.
What color flowers does each variety have?
White:
- Anne
- Hinnomaki Red
- Invicta
- Tixia
- Double Gold
Pink:
- Royalty Purple
Greenish Yellow:
- Pink Champagne
Greenish White:
- Jonkheer van Tets
Green:
- Blanka
Pale Green:
- Rovada
Eco-Friendly
Growing your own produce benefits the environment! Sustainable Food Trust reports that recent studies estimate almost 20% of global food-related emissions are due to food transport. Picking fresh produce from your backyard eliminates the need for transportation, which helps reduce carbon emissions.
When you grow your produce, you can practice sustainable gardening techniques, such as organic growing, rainwater catchers, and no-till farming.
Planting new crops in your garden can improve its biodiversity. These fruits may attract beneficial insects and pollinators, which enhances the health of your garden.
Product Recommendations
- If you’re looking to make a delicious pie, we recommend growing Hinnomaki Red and Royalty Purple.
- If you’re looking for an easy-to-grow variety, we recommend growing Jonkheer van Tets, Blanka, and Pink Champagne.
- If you’re looking to make irresistible wine, we recommend growing Blanka.
- If you’re looking for a heavy producer, we recommend growing Blanka, Invicta, Rovada, Hinnomaki Red, Invicta, and Royalty Purple.
- If you want the tastiest fruit for fresh eating, we recommend Pink Champagne, Hinnomaki Red, Tixia, Anne, Royalty Purple, and Double Gold.
- If disease resistance is a top priority, we recommend growing Pink Champagne, Royalty Purple, and Double Gold.
- If you’re looking for a semi-thornless variety, we recommend growing Tixia®.
- If you’re looking to harvest gold raspberries in summer and fall by double cropping, we recommend growing Double Gold.
Employee Recommendation
Rachel
General Counsel/Chief Compliance Officer
Invicta Gooseberry
"I love bringing Invicta to BBQs! People are always excited to try something new for novelty and then pleasantly surprised at how yummy they are to eat fresh! I love them in jams!"
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