Boysenberry
Encyclopedia
A boysenberry (ˈbɔɪzənbɛri) is a cross between a European Raspberry (Rubus idaeus
), a Common Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), and a Loganberry (Rubus × loganobaccus
).
It is a large (8 g (0.282191696840896 oz)) compound fruit
, with large seeds and a deep maroon
color,which changes to the typical boysenberry
color when the fruit is cooked and made into jam and pie
s.
In the late 1920s, George M. Darrow
of the USDA
began tracking down reports of a large, reddish-purple berry
that had been grown on the northern California
farm of a man named Rudolph Boysen
. Darrow enlisted the help of Walter Knott
, a Southern California farmer who was known as a berry expert. Knott had never heard of the new berry, but he agreed to help Darrow in his search.
Darrow and Knott learned that Boysen had abandoned his growing experiments several years earlier and sold his farm. Undaunted by this news, Darrow and Knott headed out to Boysen's old farm, on which they found several frail vines surviving in a field choked with weeds. They transplanted the vines to Knott's farm in Buena Park, California
, where he nurtured them back to fruit-bearing health. Walter Knott was the first to commercially cultivate the berry in southern California. He began selling the berries at his farm stand in 1932 and soon noticed that people kept returning to buy the large, tasty berries. When asked what they were called, Knott said, "Boysenberries," after their originator. His family's small restaurant and pie business eventually grew into Knott's Berry Farm
. As the berry's popularity grew, Mrs. Knott began making preserves, which ultimately made Knott's Berry Farm famous.
Boysenberry pie
s are one of most popular fruit pies.
Rubus idaeus
Rubus idaeus is a red-fruited species of Rubus native to Europe and northern Asia and commonly cultivated in other temperate regions. A closely related plant in North America, sometimes regarded as the variety Rubus idaeus var...
), a Common Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), and a Loganberry (Rubus × loganobaccus
Loganberry
The loganberry is an hexaploid hybrid produced from crossing an octaploid blackberry and a diploid red raspberry. The plant and the fruit resemble the blackberry more than the raspberry, but the fruit colour is a dark red, rather than black...
).
It is a large (8 g (0.282191696840896 oz)) compound fruit
Compound fruit
A compound fruit is one that develops from several ovaries in either a single flower or multiple flowers. In contrast, a simple fruit develops from one ovary.image:Longitudinal section of raspberry flower.gif...
, with large seeds and a deep maroon
Maroon (color)
Maroon is a dark red color.-Etymology:Maroon is derived from French marron .The first recorded use of maroon as a color name in English was in 1789.-Maroon :...
color,which changes to the typical boysenberry
Boysenberry (color)
Boysenberry is a color that is a representation of the color of boysenberries.The source of this color is the "Pantone Textile Paper eXtended " color list, color #19-2431 TPX--Boysenberry....
color when the fruit is cooked and made into jam and pie
Pie
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients....
s.
History
George M. Darrow
George McMillan Darrow was known as the foremost American authority on strawberries. He worked for the United States Department of Agriculture for forty-six years as a pomologist and small fruits breeder....
of the USDA
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
began tracking down reports of a large, reddish-purple berry
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
that had been grown on the northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
farm of a man named Rudolph Boysen
Rudolph Boysen
Charles Rudolph Boysen was the California horticulturist who created the boysenberry, a hybrid between several varieties of blackberries, raspberries, and loganberries.-Boysenberry:...
. Darrow enlisted the help of Walter Knott
Walter Knott
Walter Marvin Knott was an American farmer who created the Knott's Berry Farm amusement park in California....
, a Southern California farmer who was known as a berry expert. Knott had never heard of the new berry, but he agreed to help Darrow in his search.
Darrow and Knott learned that Boysen had abandoned his growing experiments several years earlier and sold his farm. Undaunted by this news, Darrow and Knott headed out to Boysen's old farm, on which they found several frail vines surviving in a field choked with weeds. They transplanted the vines to Knott's farm in Buena Park, California
Buena Park, California
Buena Park is a city in northwestern Orange County, California. As of Census 2010 the population was 80,530. The city is adjacent to the city of Anaheim and is 12 miles northwest of downtown Santa Ana. The Current OMB metropolitan designation for Buena Park and the Orange County Area is "Santa...
, where he nurtured them back to fruit-bearing health. Walter Knott was the first to commercially cultivate the berry in southern California. He began selling the berries at his farm stand in 1932 and soon noticed that people kept returning to buy the large, tasty berries. When asked what they were called, Knott said, "Boysenberries," after their originator. His family's small restaurant and pie business eventually grew into Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm is a theme park in Buena Park, California, now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, and a line of jams, jellies, preserves, and other specialty food, now part of The J. M. Smucker Company based in Placentia, California....
. As the berry's popularity grew, Mrs. Knott began making preserves, which ultimately made Knott's Berry Farm famous.
Boysenberry pie
Pie
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients....
s are one of most popular fruit pies.