Native pepperberry shortage
Last year, the many mountain pepperberry (Tasmannia lanceolata) bushes on our property produced very few berries. The few I saw were hardly worth picking. This year hasnt been much better. I was hoping for a bucket full of plump, tasty berries to flavour a science experiment we have underway in the dining room (pictured below). While there are more than last year, Ive ended up with less than half a jar of dried pepperberries so far. Some of the pepperberry bushes on our property are very large and twice my height, and they are all growing strongly. There are male and female bushes, and they all look healthy. So I am not sure why the plants have produced so few berries. A few years ago there were so many, we couldnt pick them all. I am wondering if the chill factor has something to do with it. Last years winter was very mild, but this year weve had three lots of snow already, and its only the 2nd of June. I will be interested to see what next years crop will be like. Pepperberries are especially good for flavouring roasts and beef, and Ive used them to replace pepper in other dishes too. I would describe them as peppercorns with a beautiful pink colour and more complex flavour.
Native pepperberry shortage
No comments:
Post a Comment