What Would Life Be Like Without Berries?

Hi, I’m Jay North, no not the one that was Dennis The Menace. I am the one you saw on TV or heard on the radio talking about the positive results from an organic and positive living lifestyle.

Now everyone throughout the country has access to simple life-enhancing methods with Jay’s Organic Lifestyle Tips.

What Would Life Be Like Without Berries? How to Grow The Worlds Best Berry: Four Easy-To-Use Tips

Berries were used in early Judeo-Christian biblical times to make wine before grapes were used. Their essence was prized by kings and thought to enhance man’s ability to satisfy numerous concubines.

Ah, the goodness of berries, so good for you and oh soooooooo good to eat. Spring, Summer and Fall, what would we do without strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and the like?

Just in case you missed the news from the past few years, red fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants and actually build the immune system.

I love the scene in the movie Forest Gump, when Forest meets his soon-to-be new partner in the shrimp business, and the wonderful black character names off the huge array of ways to cook with, eat raw, add to salads and sandwiches, and the many, many other ways to enjoy shrimp. And so it is with North American berries.

You can:
- Eat them raw by the handful,
- Naturally — make berry pies,
- Prepare fruit cups with ice cream,
- Decorate salads,
- Make homemade chocolate flavored treats and make a fortune doing it, more on that tip in a minute,
- Eat berries in cereal,
- Add berries to tea,
- Add berries to muffins,
- Eat berries in cream,
- And............Need I go on?

The health secrets of berries are just now coming into the forefront, whereas in other “off-shore” countries such as South America, Tahiti, Hawaii, and Asia, exotic berries have been used to cure the common cold and heal cuts for centuries. Tahitian Miranda and the Himalayan Goji fruit are just two examples of the rather incredible findings for the berries/fruit being used to cure many common complaints far exceeding the common cold.

For example, recent research has discovered a group of four active polysaccharides unique to the Goji berry that account for most of the berry’s far-ranging benefits. These photonutrient compounds turn out to be of great importance to the well-being of the entire body, including the treatment of numerous ailments.

How to Grow the World’s Best Berries

Start with good soil Preparation
Successful berry production depends on careful attention to every detail of production. Most important is proper land preparation, long before strawberries, raspberries or other berry crops are planted. Avoid mistakes in the pre-planting process because the effects can be felt for the life of the plant and the economic potential of the crop becomes limited — that is, if you happen to be interested in a commercial crop. The best management and cultural practices cannot compensate for soil problems that could have been corrected before planting — when in doubt, consult your local agricultural commission.

Just about every berry crop requires good, well-draining, mulched soil, with a balanced *pH* between 7 and 8 on a scale of 0 to 14. Each plant should have its own environment — which means its own home soil especially created for the life of the plant. Dig out a small hole in the soil that will receive the bare root plant in the late fall or early winter. Fill the hole with home made or store bought products that are perfect for the berry of choice. Berries require light watering until green appears, then increase the amount of water but never to the point of drowning the plant.

Use organic soil, organic mulch, organic fertilizers, and natural bug defenses. My favorite organic fertilizers are made from animal products — blood, bone, hoof, and horn is all you need to attain plant growth and flowering of the plant. Most berries grown in the USA need a constant temperature of at least 75 degrees Fahrenheit during the growing and harvesting seasons. Space raspberries four feet apart.

Tip 1: Raspberries like soil with a pH of 7, well-composted mulch, a high nitrogen content and animal manures.

Tip 2: Strawberries like a high pH of 8 or 9. When available, use pine needles to cover the plant.

Tip 3: On a planet that has been used for agriculture for many hundreds of years, depleted soil quality and pollution has made our food crops somewhat less potent.

The Number One Secret to Great Tasting Berries is Minerals!
Adding essential minerals can be cheap and easy. Buy prepared multi-minerals from the stock feed store or discount food store. When feasible, buy in bulk. Add one tablespoon of multi-minerals to one gallon of water. One gallon will water about four or five mature plants near one another. Repeat application of multi-minerals once a month.
Major Benefit: Calcium is what gives berries their flavor.

Tip 4: Is your strawberry crop not bringing the income you expected? Dip them in chocolate and sell the fruit to local fancy restaurants and hotels.
See ya next week--send me your berries to taste

Jay North is an internationally recognized expert in organics and healthful living. He has also traveled the country preaching the benefits of an organic lifestyle and alternative healing methods. Please contact Jay through either of his websites www.GoingOrganic.com

* PH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. Aqueous solutions at 25°C with a PH less than seven are considered acidic, while those with a PH greater than seven are considered basic (alkaline). ...