I know that it should naturally follow, in my first post after our return from holiday, that I share with you all tales and photos of our travels BUT something far more exciting happened here while we were away. Amid the tangles of our passionfruit vine, some very special little fruits have turned a beautiful and edible ruby red. This gardener's discovery, of ripe native raspberries, saw me shouting out to hubby for the camera with a lot more urgency than I had for any holiday snap. For, the sooner I photographed them, the sooner I could savour them again.
A ruby red & ripe native raspberry. Mmm...
There is something so special about these little fruity gems. They have formed and ripened on the two native raspberry bushes I planted quite a while ago now because I wanted to grow raspberries. Raspberries like the ones I remembered picking with my aunt and uncle when I was small. The ones that I could still taste in that memory from long ago.
Homegrown native raspberries.
Each little berry may be only a tiny morsel but with a power to bring forth memories that took me back to a time and a place I loved. I could see again the edge of the forest from where I had picked native raspberries like these long ago. I could smell the damp, musty leaf litter of that forest too. They tasted just the same as they do in my memory, sweet and tart at the same time! I savoured each little one, sitting right there on the grass next to where I'd picked them. Raspberries and nostalgia growing in my garden. What a treat!
Harvesting memories!
Do you have something growing in your garden that takes you back to a time and a place from long ago? Perhaps, something that sets you to remembering when you first see it bloom or when you catch its scent on the wind or when you taste it again after waiting for what seems an eternity for it to be ready?
Meg
p.s. I will share some photos from our trip to Melbourne soon. There was so much to see!
My peony plant was in the corner of our childhood home, when mum moved, we dug it up, divided into four, shared between my two sisters, me and my mum. I am 62, and each year as the blooms form I am taken back to our family garden. It's a wonderful feeling. Raspberries are my favourite Berry.
ReplyDeleteI love peonies, Marlene. What a beautiful reminder of your family's garden. Meg:)
DeleteMeg, welcome home. Lovely berries you have growing there. I have a couple of plants that we brought from home after Mum died and the house was being sold. When I see them flowering they always remind me of home.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it lovely when you can transfer plants from one home to a new one! A little something that brings memories and continuity too. Meg:)
DeleteThose raspberries look so tasty, although I've never tried a native variety before. I remember picking blackberries at my Nana's house, and at her separate property too. Sweet, and delicious. My main memories though, are of mulberries. It seemed everywhere we lived as a kid, there was some local or backyard mulberry tree to climb, and turn our clothes purple. Much to our mother's displeasure. Only because she had to clean them!
ReplyDeleteWe have two, large mulberry trees in our yard (that we planted) one has volunteered near the bird bath via seed too. Plus, I've got more propagating in the plant nursery. I plan to have many mulberries, because they can survive our extremes. It seems the native raspberries, are what works for you though. As long as they're sweet and plentiful, I'm not sure you can ever have too many!
One can definitely never have too many raspberries, Chris. There are several different varieties of native raspberry and this one is suited to growing here in Brisbane. Tasting them again was just wonderful! Mulberries feature in my childhood memories too; feet and hands and mouths stained purple after raiding local trees. Lovely that you can have lots of mulberry trees at your place. Meg:)
DeleteGarden successes are wonderful...well done. My garden is still weeds and I need to get into again this weekend.
ReplyDeleteHave fun taming those weeds on the weekend, Kathy. Meg:)
DeleteI always think it's so amazing the strong memories and connection that food can evoke. I'm glad they lived up to their memory!
ReplyDeleteI had a few trees in my Adelaide garden that brought back strong childhood memories. A loquat tree reminded me of climbing trees with friends and eating them from the branches. Savouring the fruit of my tamarillo tree brought back memories of yearly visits from my grandpa where he would bring all sorts of goodies from his coastal garden that we didn't experience in rural nsw.
Hope you had a great trip.
Cheers,
Laura
Foods really do bring back memories ... a link that can transport you back to an earlier time, place and experience. My husband's grandad had a loquat tree and I remember eating its fruit with my husband the first time I visited his grandparents' country home. Meg:)
DeleteWelcome home! They look so vibrant don't they, what a lovely homecoming surprise. Had to laugh at the grab the camera comment, that's so me LOL!
ReplyDeleteI ditched my suitcase as soon as possible and headed out to the garden, Cheryl. I always like to do an "inspection" to see what's grown, wilted, ripened or been gobbled up by bugs while we've been away. Finding these raspberries was a lovely surprise indeed. Meg:)
DeleteOoh, native raspberries! I love trying out native foods, I mean, really, it's a no-brainer as they look after themselves if they are planted in the right conditions.
ReplyDeleteI have Cape gooseberries in my garden, which I remember snacking on in the garden as a child in the highlands of New Guinea.
My grandmother grew gooseberries in her garden, Jo. I used to love it when they were ripe and she'd make jam. There are several different native raspberries. The ones I remember from childhood were Atherton Raspberries whereas the bushes in my garden are more suited to growing here in Brisbane. They are all delicioius! Meg:)
DeleteMy neighbor, Mrs. Hutchinson, used to grow delicious raspberries. She would generously offer me a container of them to take home. They were so delicious! She was very proud of them. We used to pick wild blackberries near Russian River as children. They were ripened by the sunshine...sweet and juicy!
ReplyDeleteI am chuffed with my raspberries too, Stephenie. I can't quite believe I've managed to grow them! There is something about wild berries, finding them and eating them straight off the bushes. Wonderful! Meg:)
DeleteYum! How exciting they were there to welcome you home, and how lucky you were that some other raspberry lover didn't get to them first :)
ReplyDeleteI think they used the passionfruit vine for camouflage cover, Nanette! Otherwise, I'm pretty sure the birds would have got to them. Meg:)
DeletePassionfruit! The vine is nearly blocking the entrance to our front porch but we got the first of many yesterday. Bright yellow globes of yumminess. I didn't share them with anyone. That is a rare thing in itself.
ReplyDeleteSounds like your marauding passionfruit vine is very happy growing near your front porch, Lucy. Did you make it inside or did you sit down right there on your front step to open them up and gobble up all that loveliness? MegXx
DeleteYes! Cape gooseberry, I used to always sneak into my Nan's garden to find them, such a yummy treat. Now I have them in my garden and find I am fighting the kids off for a ripe berry - they will happily eat them green (tummy aches) so I often miss out :( What a special memory. They grow wild around here and council spray them!!! Grrrr! I wonder if I should go and dig one up and plant here to prosper......
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother grew gooseberries too, Clarissa, and I loved opening up the "capes" to find the ripe gooseberries inside. My Granny made jam with them. Planting your own native raspberry is much better idea than foraging from any that have been sprayed. There are several different types of native raspberry so you might be able to find one that suits your region. I grow my bushes between my back fence and a corrugated iron tank garden so this keeps the canes under control and stops them spreading into other areas of the garden. Meg:)
DeleteMy mouth is watering!!
ReplyDeleteThey are pretty special ... and delicious! Meg:)
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