How to Berry Harvest in your backyard kitchengarden with Kesser and Steen, Nature and Innovation

How to harvest summer berries in your backyard kitchengarden. Berry Harvest - today we dive into the details of a summer gardening project involving Kesser and Steen, as they plan the berry harvest for various preserves and treats. To ensure the fruit is at its peak physiological maturity, the text outlines several evaluation techniques such as examining seed color, skin separation, and sugar-to-acid balance through taste testing. Beyond mere picking, the process includes sustainable garden maintenance like thinning out branches, applying compost, and creating new plants via cuttings. Documentation is emphasized as a key tool, with the boys using logbooks and photography to track how local microclimates affect growth. An accompanying illustration highlights this collaborative planning phase, showing the pair seated outdoors while sketching. Ultimately, the materials present a holistic view of home horticulture that blends scientific observation with the simple joy of seasonal traditions. how to harvest berries Kesser and Steen have started planning the berry harvest. Here the two boys from the Nature and Innovation class are thinking about Currants, Gooseberries and Blackcurrants, some of which will be stored in the freezer and some will be transformed into homemade jam, so there is something left over when Grandma bakes scones for tea in the afternoon. When the sun's rays have baked the green leaves sufficiently, and the plant has formed enough sugar (and less acid), they are ready to pick. We need to look at the physiological traits and not just the taste (which we can easily adjust with sugar and acid in the kitchen) and that is because we want real sun-ripened berries. And then Grandma taught Kesser that you should thin out the branches in the bushes and make some cuttings (propagating your bushes), and there should be compost around .. it should work as “one movement” even though there may be many small steps .. and then the boys should remember to enjoy their project and think that it is actually summer vacation .. Kesser and Steen come around in their hood and look far for people's delicious berries 🍒🦜 just like the blackbird, which quickly learns a perfect color, equals edible fruit and keeping warm in the winter .. and the forest jay bird keeps an eye on the squirrel 🐿👀 it is about survival, not copyrighting good ideas .. 👅 KPI Then we come to the tasting tests (the organoleptic studies) because different varieties have different appearances, different ripening times and different tastes (sugar / acid etc.). In the industry, you would also measure a number of things such as Brix, Bx which measures the “sugar content” (solids, more correctly) or density if you like. 👩🏻‍🔬 it's also relatively easy to measure the acid level, at home in the garage. But hey, now it's just at home in the backyard and it's all about the taste experience .. 🫙🥧🫖 when they're going to drink afternoon tea with Oma. We've talked about physiological ripening earlier (see the playlist), so let's quickly go over some simple "critical measurement points" such as: look at the fruit, does it look "right" (like they usually do when ripe) / the color of the petioles (stalks), what do the seeds look like (more brown than green) / how does the skin come off the fruit mass (pulp) and how does it come off the seeds (think of a nectarine that's hard as a basketball ⛹🏻‍♀️ even though the color is nice orange-red). How do the flesh, seeds and peel taste ??? And then, no one says that all the plants in the kitchen garden ripen at the same hour, or that those at Aunt Green's taste like those in Grandma's backyard - even though everyone claims they do it all very similarly and exactly as they usually do... microclimate makes a difference! And remember to note your observations 📖 some people find they get a good overview in a logbook and others love 📸 pictures, where you can also see the date and location from the GPS ✂️🌿 Kesser likes to cut some of the large branches from the berry bushes and collect them, and sit at the garden table in the shade, sort and peel the berries.. in some places it can be a bit tiring to stand for a long time, and when a little thinning is needed anyway, Kesser manages it in the same moment.. when the trays are filled and put aside in the kitchen, it's time to take a look at the process of cuttings, and a good idea for Steen to practice a few more times.. You know the usual process of cutting just below a node (leaf pair), removing leaves up the cutting, carefully scraping down to the cambium (the light green layer) at the bottom and maybe just trimming the top so there isn't too much leaf mass (see previous posts via the playlist) 👀 -“About it's currants, blackcurrants, gooseberries or a broomstick 🧹same same" says Steen 🤣 #growyourownfood #kitchengarden #berries #howto Copyright 2026 - Flamme Rouge 🚩 Nature