Hybrid berries that are crosses between raspberries and blackberries offer some of the most delicious and unique berry flavors and textures. While raspberries and blackberries are familiar fruits, when these two are combined new and exciting hybrid berries emerge. Let’s explore the origins, flavors, and uses of some fantastic raspberry-blackberry hybrids.
A Brief History of Crossbreeding Berries
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries horticulturists and amateur berry enthusiasts began purposefully crossbreeding different types of berries in the Rosaceae family. They were seeking to develop new varieties that had the best qualities of both parent plants – the flavor of one and the hardiness size, or yield of the other.
The first documented raspberry-blackberry cross was the loganberry, accidentally created in 1881 in Santa Cruz, California. Judge J.H. Logan had planted a blackberry next to a red raspberry, and they cross-pollinated naturally. Later crosses were more intentional, like the olallieberry in Oregon and the tayberry in Scotland.
Popular Raspberry-Blackberry Crosses
Some delicious and popular fruits that are raspberry-blackberry hybrids include
Loganberries
Loganberries are a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry, with a deep red raspberry color but the size of a blackberry. They taste like a mix of both fruits – a little tart yet sweet and complex. Loganberries helped launch the berry hybridization era.
Tayberries
Developed in Scotland in the 1970s, tayberries are a cross between a raspberry and a blackberry. They are very juicy and offer a lovely balance of sweetness and tartness. Their season is short, yielding just one big harvest in July.
Boysenberries
Boysenberries, developed in the 1920s in California, are a complex cross between various berries including blackberries, raspberries, loganberries, and dewberries. They are large, juicy, and wonderfully sweet-tart.
Olallieberries
Olallieberries originated in Oregon in the 1950s. A cross between loganberries and youngberries (another raspberry-blackberry hybrid), they offer a bold berry flavor with notes of blackberry and red wine. Their delicate texture makes them perfect for pies.
How Do Hybrid Berries Taste?
One of the best parts of hybrid berries is their unique flavors. Often you get a mix of the sweetness of raspberries with the deeper, more complex “berry” taste of blackberries. They tend to be quite juicy and balanced between tart and sweet.
Compared to their raspberry and blackberry parents, these hybrids often offer more intense berry flavor along with added complexity. The specific flavors depend on the variety, ranging from vinous olallieberries to extremely sweet boysenberries.
Using Raspberry-Blackberry Hybrid Berries
These special berries shine in baked goods, jams, compotes, and fresh eating. Their natural pectin makes them excellent pie fillings – they hold their shape without needing much added sugar. Jams and jellies also gel easily thanks to the pectin.
For fresh eating, be gentle as these hybrids can be delicate. Let their unique flavors shine by simply sweetening with a little sugar and serving over ice cream or yogurt. Freeze extras to use later in smoothies.
While not as ubiquitous as standard blackberries or raspberries, keep an eye out for these special hybrids at farmers markets and specialty grocers. Their tantalizing flavors make them worth seeking out. When you find these complex raspberry-blackberry crosses, grab them and make something delicious.
Cape Gooseberries
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Flavor: Mildly coconut-y and tomato-y. Cape Gooseberries are quite unique, with an almost creamy flavor and a slight grape-like tang. Season: Varies widely depending on climate, anywhere from May through September. Uses: Delicious raw, try slicing into salads. Or sub them into a tomato jam recipe. Want to go sweeter? Use them in clafoutis instead of cherries, or add to an upside-down cake.
Cape gooseberries belong to the same family as tomatillos and come in cute little lantern-shaped packs like tomatillos. They are not like most of the other berries on this list. Instead, they look more like small, firm cherry tomatoes. They’re one of my favorite raw foods; there’s something nice about taking them out of the little paper package and putting them right in your mouth.
Dewberries
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Flavor: Comparable to wild blackberry, tart and intense. Season: Late June through July. Uses: Pie, cobbler, or a syrup for drinks.
Blackberries and dewberries are related. You can find dewberries in the wild all over the US, but they’re most common in the South. For example, raspberry leaf is often used in folk medicine to treat problems with women. The leaves are also used to make tea. The dewberry vine grows on creeping canes, lower to the ground than a blackberry plant. The stems have small, fine red hairs in addition to thorns. Dewberries ripen slightly earlier than blackberries.
How To Grow Tayberries – A Delicious And Large Cross Between A Raspberry And A Blackberry
FAQ
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