The Biggle Berry Book

Book excerpt: “The only just and true way for an honorable and manly man is to grow them, and let everybody about the place have all he can eat. For the berry comes from the garden to the table in tempting and presentable shape, fit to grace the table of a king,” writes Jacob Biggle in The Biggle Berry Book, which was first published in 1894. If you hate plunking down what seems like a king’s ransom every time you buy a quart of berries at the local farmer’s market, and if you’ve got a little land to spare, it might be time to grow your own. Jacob Biggle shows just how easy it is to raise your own nutrient-rich berries. While the book’s emphasis is on more common fruit such as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, currants, gooseberries, and grapes, there is also information from other berry growers living in all parts of America who raised less familiar varieties such as dewberries, juneberries, loganberries, mulberries, and mayberries. Biggle’s trusty manual contains advice on, among other things: How to keep your berry patch pruned, cleaned, cultivated, and in good order How to protect your plants from fungus and insect damage The best ways to pick, pack, and market your berries, if you’re willing to part with them, Enhanced with color plates, beautiful engravings, and vintage photographs, The Biggle Berry Book is a treasure for anyone who appreciates the taste and freshness of homegrown fruit.