Rob Smith knows there’s nothing fishy about salmonberries
There’s nothing fishy about these delightful, raspberry-like fruits
Acouple of years ago I was walking in California, when I came across a curious berry which was surprisingly similar to a raspberry. The striking difference was that the plant had pink flowers, rather than the usual white of a garden raspberry. Sadly, due to the time of year, I never got to try the fruit as they crop on last year’s growth, though the flowers were stunning!
On my return to the UK I did a little digging (no pun intended) and found that the plant was a salmonberry ( Rubus spectabilis), which is related to the garden raspberry and bramble blackberry. Before you ask, the berries taste nothing like salmon, but they’re a yelloworange, red-salmon colour when ripe.
It’s said the berries were traditionally eaten together with salmon roe – something of an acquired taste, I think!
Salmonberries grow a little like a raspberry, forming upright bushes which are around 60cm (24in) wide and 1.5-2m (5-6½ft) tall. They also sucker like raspberries, so will need their own bed just like their garden cousins. Loving moist soil, more so than a raspberry, they thrive in shade if the soil is neutral or acidic, so make sure you enrich your soil as appropriate.
For the last few years I’ve always thought about that pretty, pink-flowered berry, wishing I could have brought a cutting back with me. Recently I discovered the fruit company Lubera is now offering two varieties for the UK grower, ‘Pacific Rose’ and ‘Olympic Double’. The former is more like the wild variety I witnessed and will produce copious amounts of fruit from pink, star-shaped flowers, while the latter will crop well from beautiful pink, double flowers, which are reminiscent of an English rose. Both varieties give fruit which is a little more oval than a raspberry’s shape. It’s also nice and sweet, ideal for snacking on or making jams and jellies, as the berries are like a seedy raspberry.
I’m giving both varieties a bed to share on the allotment. This should make sure they pollinate and give me plenty of flowers and fruit next year.
l Available from www.lubera.co.uk, tel: 0845 527 1658.