Organic Wild Berries

Organic farming means developing a mode of production of fresh vegetables and fruits paying maximum respect to the natural resources, in order to conserve the environment and protect the consumers’ health.
Like all the varieties of fruits and vegetables that are traded the most worldwide, even wild berries, although developing in hill and wood areas, are grown according to organic methods, paying the maximum respect to the environment and controlling the products used, which must be strictly free from chemical substances.
Organic farming and also the production of organic wild berries, are increasingly part of the consumer's conscience, who is more respectful of the environment and pays more attention in choosing the cultivar.
In cultivating organic wild berries, natural organic fertilizers are mainly used, avoiding excessive watering, which would make the fruit less savoury and more subject to deterioration. All kind of wild berries are well tolerant to frost and are particularly sensitive to warmth and dryness. Therefore, it is important to grow them on a fresh soil, where they can be watered regularly.
Furthermore, as wild berries are not much sensitive to parasites' attacks, they are more suitable to natural and organic cultivations free from chemical substances.
There are more and more producers of organic berries, importers of organic wild berries, exporters of organic wild berries, wholesalers of organic wild berries and retailers of organic wild berries, who have embraced the methods and the values of organic farming. Even though they belong to less important cultivations compared to other fruit cultivations, operators of this sector have such an interest for wild berries above all as to the aspects linked to the cultivation differences, the enhancing of internal and mountain and piedmont areas. Consumers, who pay more and more attention to the healthiness of fruit and to its properties, love wild berries fresh or processed: it is shown by the market that is increasing more and more.
The cultivation, and processing, of wild berries with organic methods can give interesting market nooks: the production of organic wild berries enters this industry where the quality of food becomes a central element in the sensitiveness of consumers, even though a sensible production of wild berries with organic farming comparable to the traditional production does not exist yet. However, cultivating organic wild berries gives a new quality element for the consumer, because of the absolute absence of preservatives that instead are largely used in traditional products to extend their shelf-life. Furthermore, the short die that usually is typical of the production of organic wild berries is an important part of the fruit and vegetable companies.
Fruit and vegetable products coming from organic farming are produced using production methods that allow to utilize only substances of natural origins. It is an extremely important step for the consumer, as it outlines the quality of the process and of all the entities involved in the production of wild berries, guaranteed by the label of the fruit and vegetable product on the international market, with fruit and vegetable companies for the production of organic wild berries certified according to the EU norms as to organic farming, to the European Regulation 2092/91, later annulled with the new CE 834/2007, created to protect the environment. The label, is thus a “certification” of valid, healthy and higher quality fruit and vegetable products.

The most widespread organic wild berries varieties are:

• AUTUMN BLISS RASPBERRY: ever bearing variety that ripens in two separate periods of summer, with the first blooming from the first days of June to the first days of July and a second blooming from the end of July until the first colds of October. Fruits are medium, weigh about 3 gr, they are dark red, flavoured and have a good resistance to the handling phases (harvesting, packaging) and the storing phases.
• FALLGOLD RASPBERRY: it is an ever bearing variety that appears as a bushy and thorny plant that can be of different height (up to 1.5 metres), characterized by a great ability to reproduce. Fruits are small, conical more or less elongated, yellow and very sweet (more sweet than the more known and consumed red raspberries).
• GLEN MOY RASPBERRY: variety introduced about 20 years ago; it is an early variety that in some areas ripens already from the second week of June. The fruits are medium, good and particularly resistant to aphids. Moreover, this variety has the advantage to have a stem without thorns.
• GLEN PROSEN RASPBERRY: resistant variety, with medium-large fruits, particularly resistant to atmospheric agents and to handling. The harvesting takes place from the beginning of July to the end of the month. Fruits are medium-large and roundish.
• HERITAGE RASPBERRY: classic and very widespread variety of raspberry, whose fruits that ripen between the end of June and the end of July, are medium, intense red, with a very sweet taste and a strong and unordinary resistance on the plant.
• HIMBO TOP RASPBERRY: it is a new very interesting hybrid selected by a research in Switzerland. It is a very productive variety with large berries, compact, tasty, excellent both frozen and traded fresh.
• PORANNA ROSA RASPBERRY: June bearing variety, with medium-large fruits, approximately round, similar to the black raspberry. Raspberries are yellow or slightly orange, compact and quite tasty. This variety is characterized positively by an excellent resistance to rotting problems and negatively as the ripe fruits decay quickly.
• ROSSANA RASPBERRY: Late variety of raspberries, whose fruits are very sweet and resistant to the handling phases. They ripen in July.
• SUGANA RASPBERRY: variety with quite large fruits.
• TULAMEEN RASPBERRY: medium-late variety (from mid-July to mid/end of August), appreciated and traded for the large fruits, the strong taste, the resistance to handling and atmospheric events such as rainfalls and for the high production levels.
• WILLAMETTE' RASPBERRY: variety that produces large and tasty fruits. They ripen from mid-July to mid/end of August.
• COCAGNE FRENCH CURRANT: variety with a strong resistance to cold, whose clusters are resistant and easy to harvest with hands.
• JUNNIFER FRENCH CURRANT: red variety of currant selected by Inra in France. It is an early variety, with good production levels and quite long clusters; it is a variety suitable also for temperate climate regions (in Italy up to Campania region). Fruits are beautiful and tasty and are suitable for any usage, both as a fresh fruit and for the production of jams, sauces, etc.
• PERFECTION DUTCH CURRANT: very productive variety;
• RED LAKE CURRANT: very productive variety, medium vigorous, suitable for fresh consumption;
• RONDOM CURRANT: rustic variety, with compact clusters, easy to harvest because they have a long peduncle; suitable to industrial processing;
• ROVADA CURRANT: late Dutch variety of red currant, very productive and vigorous, with long cluster and juicy and flavoured berries. Nowadays it is the most cultivated variety as to the red cluster currant and the fact that it is easy to harvest.
• DUTCH CURRANT: variety with long clusters and very good dark red fruits.
• VERSAILLES CURRANT: variety of white currant with long clusters, yellow berries and a delicate taste.
• BLACK SATIN BLACKBERRY
• DIRKSEN THORNLESS BLACKBERRY
• HULL THORNLESS BLACKBERRY
• LOCK NESS BLACKBERRY
• THORNFREE BLACKBERRY
• BLUETTA BLUEBERRY
• DUKE BLUEBERRY
• EARLIBLUE BLUEBERRY
• PATRIOT BLUEBERRY