What the hell is a "Loganberry"?

by Eryn Barber • 3 years ago

You’ve heard of a liger right? A weird crossover between a lion and a tiger. Well that’s basically what a loganberry is in the fruit world, but a little less peculiar.

Any idea what I’m talking about? A loganberry is a cross between a raspberry and a blackberry (although they look a lot more like raspberries). They form a similar shape and colour to a raspberry, except they are longer resembling a cone. Like blackberries, they are incredibly tart, with a beautifully rich flavour that makes them perfect for jams and compotes.

Side note. There are actually several other cross breeds of raspberries and blackberries, however this is one of the lesser known ones.

History of the loganberry

So, was there a crazy scientist back in the 1950s that grew a loganberry in his lab? I’m afraid it isn’t quite that exciting. They were discovered by James Logan, an amateur breeder and raspberries and blackberries, but they were found to be growing naturally as opposed to in a test tube.

You’ve probably never seen a loganberry in the supermarket before (if you have let me know!) But that doesn’t mean you can’t grow them at home or in your allotment. In fact they are a great summer vegetable to grow around July/August, they bridge the gap between spring/summer strawberries and autumn blackberries, so you’ll have berries nearly all year long.

Tips for growing loganberries

The first thing you need to know is that if you want to grow loganberries you’re going to need a lot of space. They grow in a similar manner to blackberries that you’ll often see climbing along canals and rivers.

You’ll need a wall or fence for the berries to grow against and some sturdy wire. If you’re going to plant from the root then you’ll want to plant them outdoors in November. When planting, create a hole around twice the size of the root ball and add plenty of compost to the base. Cover to the point that they were planted before (there should be a visible soil line on the stem) and water well.

it’s spring, hopefully you’ve been watering your loganberry plant appropriately and things are looking good. Now it’s time to mulch the plant with rotted manure or compost. However, it usually takes a year or two for loganberries to really come into their own, so you’ll have to be patient, if you’re an avid gardener then patience is probably your middle name.

Loganberry recipes

Hopefully I’ve given you a little bit of inspiration to grow your own berries, but you need to make sure you’ve got some recipes lined up when they’re ready to be picked. Like I said earlier, loganberries can be pretty tarty, so they are excellent in classic dessert dishes but need plenty of sugar to balance them out. If you need a little bit of inspiration, check out the list below: