These wild berries are also suitable for growing in the garden
In addition to gooseberries, blackberries, raspberries and currants, the following types of wild berries can be considered for growing berries in the garden:
- Hawthorn
- Rose hips (dog roses)
- elder
- blueberries
- Juniper berries
- Rowan berries
- Sea buckthorn
- Sloes
- blueberries
- Cornelian cherries
also read
- Plant wild berries in the garden
- Grow melons and harvest them from your own garden?
- Harvest blueberries with cultivated blueberries in your own garden
These berry varieties are usually referred to as wild berries because they occur as wild plants in the forest or at the edge of the forest and do not belong to the classic garden plants that can be found as cultivated varieties in almost every garden.
Forest berries as a basis for jams, juices and alcoholic beverages
Some wild berries, such as the wild blueberry or the dark berry umbels of the elder, can be enjoyed fresh at harvest time. Other types of wild berries can sometimes be safely consumed fresh, but traditionally they are more part of jams, vitamin-rich juices or the flavor ingredient in homemade wine and sparkling wine creations as well as in fine brandies. Among the latter, the rowanberry schnapps should be mentioned in particular, which requires around 100 liters of mash to produce two liters of brandy. Rose hips, cornel cherries, lingonberries and blueberries are ideal for making jams. The fruits of the sea buckthorn can be processed into a juice with a particularly high vitamin C content.
Some wild berries are not particularly digestible fresh
For example, while rowan berries are usually only harvested after the first frosts due to the associated breakdown of bitter substances, juniper berries should be consumed with caution because of their ingredients. However, they can be used for the production of smoked flour or as an important flavoring ingredient for gin. When it comes to elderberries, many gardeners only allow some of the berry umbels to ripen, as they use the fragrant flowers for the production of fruity elderberry champagne months in advance or prepare the flowers with lots of sugar in water as a homemade drink syrup. Care should be taken with the rose hipsto carefully remove the nuts, which sometimes provoke allergic reactions, from the inside, both for fresh consumption and before further processing.
Tips
The Cornelian cherry, which is still rarely found in private gardens, not only bears extremely tasty fruits, but is also an important pasture for bees due to its early flowering period from February onwards.
