Berried Treasure

I couldn't resist that awful pun - sorry! However, I have been collecting treasure from the garden of the 'berry' variety recently, and I felt the need to share some of it visually.  

Our redcurrant bush has been producing currants for at least three weeks now, and is almost over.

The currants are translucent, and look like pretty little glass necklaces draped through the bush.

The light shines right through them, and they look especially attractive next to the pale green, unripe ones. I love the way they catch the light.

Blackcurrants, on the other hand, are opaque and not quite so pretty, but they have a charm of their own. The properly ripe ones are very black and shiny, and not half as squishy as their red counterparts.

 They are a little harder to spot amongst the foliage.

We have one bush of each of the currants, but quite a few raspberry canes. They multiply madly and keep trying to come up in the middle of the lawn. The berries are easy to pick when ripe, and 

are one of my favourite colours - a lovely soft pinky-red. I love the taste of raspberries, almost preferring them to strawberries, and like to eat them warm from the garden when the sun's been shining on them.

I collected quite a lot a couple of evenings ago, and have frozen them and the currants with a plan in mind to make some jam or jelly. I'll probably do that once the summer holidays have arrived and I have a bit more time.

We also have lots of little wild strawberries dotted around the garden. They spread everywhere, given the chance, but are delightful and very sweet. You need to lift up their leaves to find them, but the reward is great.

They are tiny, but delicious, and taste good on breakfast cereal in the mornings.

 These strawberries are not from our garden, as the wild strawberries have obliterated the normal-sized ones, but they are an essential part of summer.

I always try to buy some gooseberries too. I bought these at the market and, like the redcurrants, they are translucent and gorgeously green.

They taste wonderful with elderflowers, especially in ice cream and cordials - aren't they pretty?

Our summer berry harvest will be over soon, but there are more harvests to be had in my garden, and I'll share them soon.