History of the Boysenberry
The Boysenberry (Rubus ursinus var loganobaccus cv Boysenberry) is a Rubus hybrid berry and believed to have arisen from a cross between Loganberries, Raspberries and Blackberries in the 1920s in California. However the following story – one of determination and some good luck – is generally accepted as the true story of its discovery.
It starts off in the Depression in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s – a time of hardship for many. Swedish immigrant Rudolf Boysen worked his ranch in Napa Valley in California and loved to experiment with new varieties of flowers and crossing berry plants.
He had planted some seeds developed from crossing the flowers of raspberries, loganberries and blackberries. The plant eventually produced amazing large, succulent berries, but over time he neglected them and sold his ranch, moving to another in Anaheim.
Thankfully he had passed on some of these hybrid plants to another gardener who got in touch with the US Department of Agriculture about this wonderful new berryfruit. There, berryfruit specialist Mr George Darrow was so impressed that he set off to try and discover more.
He contacted a small fruit grower and nurseryman Walter Knott at his berry farm in Buena Park, California, and together they eventually tracked down Mr Boysen. He took them to his former ranch to locate some plants, but all they found were some withered and straggly plants, with no berries on them.
Undeterred, Mr Knott had the plants cleaned up, fertilised and watered, and planted an experimental garden of some 25 different varieties of bush berries from various parts of the world. As springtime came and Mr Boysen’s plants didn’t surpass any of the other plants, Mr Knott had them dug up and destroyed, and no cutting plants were saved.
You can then imagine his feelings when six weeks later the berries on the mother plants came out of the bloom, with Boysen’s plants producing the biggest berries of all. Knott quickly returned to the old farm and obtained all the old plants he could for a propagating programme.
As the new berry had no name Knott, in consultation with the US Government Bureau of Plant Industries at Beltsville, decided that the new berry should be named Boysenberry. And so it was born…
Progress over the years
By 1935 plants were being made available for sale commercially and by 1937 the boysenberry was being promoted in the USA as a promising new trailing blackberry type suitable for commercial use.
It was around that time that it was introduced into New Zealand, and within ten years it had been well established in the Nelson region as well as other areas of the country.
Over the next few decades planting steadily increased as the potential for the berry to be processed and developed into a viable fruit was recognised.
While it took some time for the boysenberry to be introduced to consumers outside the USA and New Zealand, once they ‘discovered’ this wonderful fruit they have remained loyal customers. Since its inception Boysenberries New Zealand has had a long standing relationship with customers throughout Europe, and the boysenberry was introduced to the UK in the 1990s.
Nowadays New Zealand is the world’s largest producer and international marketer of this succulent fruit.
The Cronut may be the most popular hybrid food, but it certainly isn’t the first. Way back in the early 1900s, a man named Charles Rudolph Boysen successfully bred a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry. If it had happened during the age of the Internet, the web would have blown up overnight with news of this wondrous berry. Instead, word spread slowly until it reached Walter Knott (of Knott’s Berry Farm), who began growing the fruit commercially and making it into preserves. He named the fruit boysenberry—proving that Knott was a modest man.
Before you head out to buy a basketful of Boysen’s magical hybrid berries, study up on them with this mini guide.
Where: Though Boysenberries originated in California, New Zealand is currently the largest producer and exporter. They are still grown in California as well as Oregon and other West Coast regions.
When: Late May through early July.
What to look for: A ripe boysenberry is plump, firm and an evenly colored reddish purple hue. Flavor profile: Unsurprisingly, the boysenberry tastes a lot like a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry. It has the juicy intensity of a blackberry, the sweet, floral character of a raspberry and a little bit more of a tang than either of its parents.
Health benefits: Boysenberries contain a good amount of dietary fiber, vitamin K and a slew of minerals including manganese, iron, calcium and potassium.
How to eat them: Though they’re terrific eaten fresh off the bramble, boysenberries are also delicious in jams, pies, tarts and custardy gratins.
You usually know summer is here when your favorite berries start cropping up at the farmers’ market. Some berries do OK traveling from farm to distribution center to supermarket, and can be found in the produce aisle of your local grocery stores.
But others, such as boysenberries, are easier to find when purchased directly from farmers or on farms that allow you to pick your own. That’s because boysenberries are a fragile berry that need to avoid a lot of handling and are best eaten off the bramble or soon after purchasing. Because of this, you might not be as familiar with boysenberries as other berry varieties, but they’re well worth seeking out when in season.
Where Did Boysenberries Come From?
Boysenberries are a combination of different types of berries, including the loganberry, dewberry, raspberry, and blackberry. However, it’s often described and referred to as a hybrid between blackberries and raspberries. Since they are a hybrid of other berries, this means they were created instead of being a berry that grows in the wild and was later domesticated or cultivated.
The story of how this berry came to be begins with a gardener, Rudolf Boysen from Sweden, who lived in northern California. Boysen enjoyed tinkering with flowers and berries and experimenting with new varieties. Boysen was introduced to Walter Knott, of Knott’s Berry Farm, jam, and theme park fame, who had a berry farm in southern California. The berry was named after Rudolf Boysen, and Knott is considered to be the one who helped bring attention to this cultivar and make it more commercially available to other farmers and gardeners.
What Do Boysenberries Taste Like?
Boysenberries are likely to conjure up a mix of both blackberry and raspberry flavors since they’re predominately a combination of these well-known varieties. Typically, boysenberries are plump and juicy, with the same tartness that makes your lips pucker when you eat a blackberry, but met with the sweetness of a raspberry.
When Are Boysenberries in Season?
Boysenberries are abundant in the summer, and they typically begin to grace farmers’ markets as early as late May or early June and continue through the hot months.
Where Do Boysenberries Grow?
Boysenberries grow well in warmer climates, and the fruit is ready for harvest in the summer. The state of California is a big producer with many small-scale farmers cultivating these plump berries and selling them direct to customers, as well as larger-scale farms growing them for other uses, such as frozen berries, jams, and syrups. The country of New Zealand is also a hub for growing these delectable berries and selling and shipping them internationally.
How to Store Boysenberries
Boysenberries are delicious, and it can be hard to resist not eating the entire container before arriving home. That may be a good thing, considering they are best eaten as soon as you get your hands on them, but if some boysenberries do make it home, here’s what to know:
Boysenberries will last around a week in the fridge. Otherwise, consider freezing them so you can cook or bake with them at a later time.
One of the best ways to freeze them is to lay them out on a baking sheet and give each berry their space to avoid the berries sticking together. Once frozen, you can put them in a sealed plastic bag or a plastic or glass container that is suitable for cold temperatures and long-term storage.
