Funberry

[veggiechicken]

Just seen a new type of fruit for sale - Funberry.
https://www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/fu...-pid10915.html

First impression - daft name.
Second impression - its a What!! A strawberry x raspberry

You enjoy lots of strawberry-like fruit growing on raspberry-like stems for easy picking. Great variety for fruit to stew or reduce for jam.


How is it "strawberry-like"? Shape, taste, size?
Raspberry-like - so it grows on canes .
Its great to "stew or reduce for jam" - but what about eating it fresh as strawberries should be?

Dos anyone know anything about this curious plant or is it just a gimmick and the suppliers are having "Fun" at our expense?

[veggiechicken]

Found this The Raspberry-Strawberry Hybrid Is a 100-Year-Old Mystery | Extra Crispy

[Bren In Pots]

Found a short youtube clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MogyiQFQt2A

[Nicos]

Oh yeesss!...you've got to get some of those VC!
Your garden wouldn't be complete without one

[veggiechicken]

I don't mind a bit of Fun in the garden, Nicos, but I'd be making a fool of myself to buy these unknowns

[Snoop Puss]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubus_illecebrosus

Rubus illecebrosus (Framboisier fraise du Japon) Plant - Alsagarden

(In French, but here's the Google Translate version:
The Strawberry Raspberry (Rubus illecebrosus) is a perennial and rustic plant of the Rosaceae family. Very close to the raspberry, this species native of China and Japan produces large bright red fruits very decorative but also perfectly edible.
With a height of 40 to 60 cm, Strawberry Raspberry is a deciduous plant that produces its flowering in early summer. Fruits harvested between July and August can be eaten raw or used in jams and jellies. This rather ground cover plant also has narrow leaves that give it an elegant and very ornamental look in the garden.
Easy to grow, Rubus illecebrosus appreciates fresh soil and prefers sunny or semi-shaded exposure. The substrate must be rich and well drained. This plant can withstand extreme temperatures up to -30 ° C.
Packaging: Strawberry raspberry plant (Rubus illecebrosus) in 10 cm bucket. Delivery: We ship our plants in metropolitan France and in the European Union only. The delivery is free in France metropolitan from 40 € of purchase!)

[veggiechicken]

Well sleuthed, Snoop
With the Latin name its easier to find and..............has been called the Balloon berry.

Resist the urge to branch out with fruit - Telegraph

http://www.korewildfruitnursery.co.u...ecebrosus.html

http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?...s+illecebrosus

[burnie]

I fell for the Honeyberry gimmick, what a waste that seems to be, small bitter fruits that have never seen honey flavour in their life.

[Snoop Puss]

Personally, I reckon that if they're recommended for preserves in that Extra Crispy article you found, VC, they're probably a bit sharp and pippy. Not much fun after all, especially for anyone with false teeth.

[Rudi13]

I fell for the Honeyberry gimmick, what a waste that seems to be, small bitter fruits that have never seen honey flavour in their life.

I think they sell the wrong varieties here in UK. I bought one here years ago when the hype just started and it has horrible fruit, small and bitter, grow it as an ornamental shrub now for the pretty flowers in spring. I bought two more plants 2 years ago from a big specialist fruit nursery and the fruit is much better. I have seen nice plants in Germany with big juicy fruit, three-times the size of a large blueberry. And the taste was great, like a blueberry but more aromatic. So honeyberries are not bad, just most of what they sell here in UK is not up to standard.