A branch of NZ cranberries ready to eat
Now is the time to harvest (and plant)
that delicious but confusing berry, known here as the New Zealand
cranberry, even though it is not a true cranberry, and not native to
New Zealand. In Australia it has been trademarked as 'Tazziberry',
and in the rest of the world it is usually known as the Chilean
guava. As it is originally from Chile, and is botanically related to
the guava (they are both in the Myrtle family) this is the most
accurate name. However, as it doesn't look or taste at all like the
green-skinned, pink-fleshed, plum-sized fruit that most of us know
as a guava, it is just as misleading as the cranberry name. (As if
the common names weren't confusing enough, the scientific name has
also changed in recent times, from Myrtus ugni to Ugni
molinae.)
Whatever you call it, this plant is a
good thing to grow. The ripe berries are sweet and slightly spicy –
I think they taste like spicy toffee apples. They have quite thick
skins so are a bit chewy, but not annoyingly so. When the bush is
covered with ripe fruit it scents the air for 2-3 metres around. I
don't know what nutrients the berry contains, but dark red fruits and
vegetables are usually packed with vitamins, antioxidants and other
super-nutrients, and I doubt that this berry is an exception.
It is also much easier to grow than
blueberries, raspberries and the like. So easy that it does not need
to be planted in special berry beds and tended carefully, but can be
planted almost anywhere in the garden, including among the ornamentals. Indeed, it makes a great border or low hedging plant. I
have seen it grown as a 10 metre long thigh-high hedge in a Dunedin
garden, where its small dark evergreen leaves looked neat and tidy
all year, while in late autumn the bushes provided lots of berries to
keep the gardeners happy as they worked. I grow my bushes in my shrub
borders, where they thrive with half-day sun, a slightly acid soil,
and some water in dry summers.
A bowl of NZ cranberries
beside a bush
Non-native NZ cranberries
growing through a native
Astelia
Hi,
ReplyDeleteHow do I know when the cranberries are ripe? Last year, I picked them probably too early, so I don't want to make the same mistake this year, but conversely, don't want to leave it too late. My cranberry bush is already covered with fruit (end of Jan), but I'm struggling to find information on how long they take to mature.
Thanks!
Hi Jo
Deleteyou will know the cranberries are ripe when they are deep red all over, start to send out sweet and spicy smells, and feel softish when you squeeze them. My bushes on Banks Peninsula aren't ripe until April, but if your garden is in a warmer latitude yours may ripen sooner.
Thank you :-) I'm down in Upper Hutt, so will keep an eye out (I get far too impatient when I can see my food growing!)
DeleteHi, I planted out some cranberrys as a hedging around my garden. They were planted out in may/june - to encourage growth upwards when would I prune and how vigorously? Many thanks, kim (dunedin)
ReplyDeleteHi Christine ,
ReplyDeleteDo you have any experience with the variegated version on the 'NZ cranberry' bush ?
I have several of these plants growing in pots .
Some of them are not looking healthy ...
Ray
Do you take off the little leaves at the top of the cranberry when you freeze or cook them (i've found this tricky) or can you just leave them on.
ReplyDelete