Tayberry, much like loganberry, is a crossbreed between the blackberry and red raspberry. The flavour of this fruit is strongly aromatic. Though both these fruits contain similar percentage of acids, compared to loganberry, the tayberry is less acidic.
The tayberry was registered for the first time in 1979 and it derives its name from Tay River in Scotland. The tayberry is a very dependable and prolific cropper. However, since the fruit is extremely soft when it ripens, it needs to be harvested only by hand.
This is the main reason why the tayberry is not grown commercially. Even after the ripened tayberries are picked, they retain their inner core (receptacle).
The fruit of tayberry is cone-shaped and their color changes to red upon ripening. Each tayberry fruit can measure up to 4 cm (1.5 inches) in length. Like the blackberry, the receptacle or the "core" of tayberry fruit remains within when it is harvested.
Even the growth habit of the tayberry plant is similar to that of the blackberry. The tayberry fruits grow on small laterals on cones (vines), which are prickly.
The length of these canes may vary from 1.8 meters to 2.1 meters (6 ft to 7 ft). Unlike the blackberry, the harvesting period of tayberry is quite long - starting from early summer, it lasts till late summer.
Fruits, leaves.
Tayberry offers a number of health benefits, especially lowering the cholesterol levels and holding up the signs of aging. Since this fruit contains abundance of vitamin C, it is a "citrus fruit".
Consumption of tayberries helps to heal wounds quickly. At the same time, it combats the harmful free radicals, thereby delaying the signs of aging.
Supplies essential iron: An essential mineral, iron is required by our body to carry out various functions effectively. Deficiency of iron in the body results in anemia. Tayberry contains elevated amounts of this essential mineral and if you are suffering from iron deficiency, it is advisable you consume this fruit regularly. Tayberry can not only help you to get rid of anemia, but also maintain your overall health.
Supports growth of DNA, RNA: Tayberry also supports as well as facilitates DNA and RNA growth. As most of us are aware, both DNA and RNA are the building block of the cells in our body and tayberry aids in their growth as well as development. Consuming tayberry daily helps to put off any alterations that may occur in the DNA. In fact, some changes in DNA may result in development of cancer and other major health issues.
Puts off neural tube defects: It has been proved that consuming tayberry is highly beneficial for pregnant women as this fruit helps to prevent any defects in the neural tubes of newborns. In addition, tayberry is also helpful for lactating mothers.
Cures diarrhea, gum problems: People suffering from diarrhea will find tayberry helpful as consuming this fruit would bring instant relief. Chewing and munching the tayberry fruits as well as the leaves of this plant helps to prevent the body from being dehydrated due to diarrhea, while the dietary fiber present in the fruit absorbs additional water. Those suffering from bleeding gums will also find the leaves of this plant beneficial. It is said to cure all types of gum problems. Simply chewing the leaves of tayberry plant effectively cure bleeding gums.
Beneficial for skin and hair: Tayberries are also beneficial for the health of your skin and hair. Make a paste of the fruit, which is loaded with vitamins and antioxidants, and apply it on your skin or to your hair for nourishment. While it will provide nourishment to the hair follicles making the hair healthy and thick, your skin will be smooth and have a youthful glow.
Excellent source of antioxidants: If you wish to remain healthy and fit, you need to intake plenty of fruits and vegetables containing antioxidants. Antioxidants help to counteract and eliminate all harmful free radicals, thereby protecting us from various diseases. Tayberry is rich in antioxidant content and consuming this fruit helps to keep you healthy. Hence, you should eat more tayberries to increase the presence of antioxidants in your body.
Rich in vitamin C content: As tayberries contain high concentration of vitamin C, consuming this fruit will help you to take care of your body's entire immune system. Vitamin C helps to prevent various health problems and ensure your overall wellbeing. Therefore, consuming tayberries can secure your health.
Moreover, eating the right amount of tayberries can be helpful in healing wounds quickly and in the right manner. Antioxidants as well as other nutrients present in tayberries facilitate healing all types of wounds without any problems.
Reduces unwanted body fats: Eating tayberries helps to reduce the unwanted fats in the body, thereby aiding weight loss. This ability of the fruit is attributed to the high concentration of antioxidants in it. By cutting down on the accumulated fats, tayberry also helps to keep you healthy and fit.
Helps to maintain optimal blood sugar levels: Abrupt rise in the levels of blood sugar can often lead to serious health conditions, including diabetes. Therefore, consuming enough tayberries on a regular basis helps to check the blood sugar levels and prevent diabetes, thereby ensuring your overall wellbeing.
Tayberry improves digestive process: There are various ways in which tayberry helps to promote digestion. Consuming this fruit regularly can facilitate production and secretion of digestive juices and improve the digestive process. In this way, tayberry helps to keep you fit and healthy.
Prevents risks of colon cancer: Intake of sufficient amount of tayberry on a regular basis can help in avoiding the risk of developing colon cancer and other serious health conditions. Since these berries are rich in antioxidant content, they help to eliminate the detrimental free radicals, which are responsible for various forms of cancer and other serious diseases. Aside from free radicals, consumption of tayberry also helps to eliminate all types of harmful chemicals from the body.
This fruit is loaded with vitamin C and bioflavonoids. In addition, it also contains high concentration of dietary fiber and folate - all essential nutrients. Folate is a water soluble B vitamin.
Similar to any other berry, this fruit is also an assortment of a wide range of druplets, each having its individual seed. In several ways, an average tayberry is similar to its parent - the blackberry.
As discussed earlier, tayberry contains rich amounts of dietary fiber. Hence, consumption of this fruit enhances the digestive process.
In other words, tayberry offers support to the entire digestive tract, especially the stomach, to break down carbohydrates and fats into simpler substances, thereby facilitating the digestive process. The fiber content of the fruit also helps to maintain healthy bowel movements, which largely helps in preventing colon cancer.
Last, but not the least important, tayberry also contains elevated concentration of flavonoids, which aid in regenerating the cells of your body and also repair the damaged ones.
Hence, it is advisable that everyone, especially children and pregnant women, should intake lots of this fruit, as it is most beneficial for them.
If you wish to appreciate the best flavour of tayberries, it is suggested you consume them raw. If the fruits are very soft, you may crush them and add some sugar before serving them in the form of a sauce over ice cream.
Alternately, you may also serve the raw fruit as a spread for waffles, cream scones, pikelets and even pancakes. You can also use tayberries to prepare a wonderful jam and add them to various fruits such as apples and to pies. A wine made from tayberries has several happy aficionados.
You can also macerate tayberries in cider vinegar, gin, vodka or brandy. The process involved in this is very simple. To macerate tayberries, just put the whole fruit in your favourite substance in an airtight container and leave it for quite a few weeks in a dark and cool place.
Once the liquid has attained your favourite flavour, strain the liquid using fine muslin. If you like, you may also add a little sugar. Adding some excellent, pith-free orange zest during the maceration process is a good idea. You may repeat the process if you prefer a more potent flavour.
Tayberry grows quite well in several different types of soils. These plants produce maximum berries when they are grown in well-drained soil and in full sun. It is also necessary for the soil to contain large amounts of organic substances.
It is not very important to provide support to the tayberry canes (vines), but doing so will help the plant to be disease free as the air flow among the branches will be improved due to the support system. Depending on the variety of the plant and prevailing conditions, the berries should be ready for picking at the beginning of July.
Tayberry plants are able to resist frost to great extend and, hence, it is not a problem to grow them in regions where there is mild frosts. Moreover, the plants bloom later in the season, when the last frost date has passed.
However, the plant require protection when the temperature drops below -26°C (-15°F). Similar to several other hybrid plant varieties, tayberry also has good resistance against diseases. It has been seen that the plant is able to resist late yellow rust effectively.
Tayberry is propagated asexually - planting the canes (vines) grows into new plants. It is recommended that you plant the tayberry canes in mid-October up to the middle of March provided the soil is not waterlogged or frozen.
In fact, scientists have shown that tayberry tissue cultures can be kept in cold storage successfully for preserving the in vitro (laboratory) collections of tayberry plant tissues.
