Yummy, We are starting to get Spanish strawberries in now. The Dutch ones won't be around 'til summer but they are the cute small ones. My rhubarb has 2 stalks now! I've had folks saving jars for me, so after I get through our big Charity Night this weekend, I might make some pepper jelly.

Driscoll type strawberries aren't out yet, but are one of the biggest and most flavorful types there is. There is nothing more annoying than getting a box of berries are bland, or worst, are fuzzy underneath.

I used to grow several June bearing types here, and was able to protect most from the animals. Chipmunks were the biggest problem as they would carry away whole berries. Once I started baiting rat traps with whole grapes, the chipmunks are no longer a pest here. For birds, I would paint some small round rocks with bright red paint and set these out in the patch as 'decoys'. Its funny to watch a big bird pecking at a rock and giving up. I gave up on the strawberries as they were just too much work to keep weeded, and managed enough once they sent out many runners. Spider mites are always a problem with them too. I do grow thornless red raspberries and these are a breeze to pick every year. Lots less money than buying those tiny little baskets in the stores.

Darn it! I ruined the whole batch! Last night I cooked my jam on our glass top stove in the main part of our house (last year I cooked on an electric coil stove in our Mother-in-law suite). I guess it gets hotter than the other stove because I scorched the bottom of the pan and ruined the jam. I was so upset! I had been coveting the taste. Even though I knew it was ruined, I still tried it just to make sure- and sure enough it has a scorched taste to it. boohoo! I had planned on cooking it on the new stove and then taking the pot to the MIL suite to process (we have a new puppy and I have to be close by to keep an eye on her).
So I guess I am just gonna have to wait a while before I make anther batch.

*sniff*
bluejean

Ken, what kind of thornless raspberries do you have- do you know the specific name? I love raspberries but picking can be a pain... literally!

thanks,
bluejean in ohio

Bluejean,

Latham was one type I bought that was thornless. Most still have tiny soft thorns, or small bumps on the canes. Mine are all thornless to the point where I can slide my hand up and down on the canes and not get a single snag. Lauren is another one I grow. MY dad had planted some canes many years ago that were also thornless, but in recent years there have been many major improvements to the older types. I suggest that you find a good nursery or plant source and ask them what kinds are thornless. I made the mistake of also planting some thorny blackberries that would grab me every time I walked past them. These are all gone now, as I didn't care to get cut up every time I went near them.