A berry pragmatic change in color

For several years TPP has tried to grow blueberries here in the alkaline clay soil, heat, and droughts of the midwest. Let's make a long story short; blueberries don't like these things.  Having condemed quite a number of blueberry plants to death, not without giving them a chance to make it, last summer's heat and drought was sort of the last straw.  Nothing remained but the not-acid-enough soil.  In a bit of impulse shopping, TPP decided that the thing to do is to change color, from blue to black.  Both blue and black make a pretty decent pie.  Both can make a jam or jelly.  But the Rubus will be much easier to grow especially because the modern varieties are thornless.  In the old days picking blackberries was an invitation to considerable injury and probably an infestation of chiggers.  In particular these were very vigorours looking plants, so blue was changed to black.  Now we shall wait and see.   

Why in blue blazes do we need this?

One of the reasons people love to look through seed catalogs is to see what’s new. Although not actually new, Briggs Nursery introduced this 2 years ago, it just didn't register until the 2011 crop of seed catalogs. One item raises a question. Why in ever lovin’ blue blazes do we need pink blueberries? This is one of those things that you have to wonder why spend the time and effort to breed a pink blueberry? Did they discover this while waiting for these berries to finally ripen, and they just never did? Perpetually unripe berries, wow! Oh, no, is this is another example of the trouble our country is in? John Birch wouldn’t like this one bit, creeping commie pinko fruits invading our ‘mercan pie crusts. Way to go Briggs; you on a list now. We'll be keeping an eye on you and your little dog too.