Fruit of boysenberries

The boysenberry’s glossy, large, dark, reddish-black or purple fruit is similar in appearance to the blackberry a fruit it is related to and often classified as.

It was named by Walter Knott, founder of Knott’s Berry Farm, after Rudolph Boysen who discovered it in California in 1923.

The boysenberry is made up of numerous drupelets, fleshy fruit in which the seed is encased in a single shell. It is a cool climate crop, it grows in full sun to partial shade and does best in a well-drained, moist, loamy soil rich in organic matter from pH 6-7.5.

Boysenberries are a slightly tart, juicy fruit that is rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, iron, fiber and anthocyanins that work as antioxidants.

Boysenberry juice helps to prevent scurvy, that dread nutritional deficiency disease that wreaks havoc upon the skin and nervous system. Boysenberry juice also makes a gentle laxative for older people, who are occasionally constipated and who require something moderate to promote an easy bowel movement.

Boysenberry may be eaten fresh, in fruit salads, with ice-cream, in drinks, milk shakes or use alone with creams, in trifles, and to top fruit tarts. It can be used in jams, preserves, pies, cheesecakes, muffins, cobblers, bars, pancakes and syrups, or even made into wine.
Fruit of boysenberries