Fresh berry fruit stamps from Chyan!

[Bruce Grenville]

I am happy to announce Chyan's first new stamps since 2005. The set of four (issued on 15th March 2017) features berry fruits, and comes in attractive minisheets with a marginal caption urging citizens to eat lots of fresh berry fruit, for good health, and also urging citizens to grow their own berries, and water the plants every day.

Chyan 2017 Fruit set. Berries shown on their bushes are Blackberry (15 sen), Strawberry (30 sen), Raspberry (45 sen), and Cranberry (1.35 Mon).

The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the Rubus genus in the Rosaceae family, hybrids among these species within the Rubus subgenus, and hybrids between the Rubus and Idaeobatus subgenera. The taxonomy of the blackberries has historically been confused because of hybridization and apomixis, so that species have often been grouped together and called species aggregates. ...

Blackberries contain numerous large seeds that are not always preferred by consumers. The seeds contain oil rich in omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) and -6 fats (linoleic acid) as well as protein, dietary fiber, carotenoids, ellagitannins and ellagic acid.

The soft fruit is popular for use in desserts, jams, seedless jelly, and sometimes wine. It is often mixed with apples for pies and crumbles. Blackberries are also used to produce candy.

I suggest there are few greater pleasures than eating fresh, ripe berry fruit, and would love to make a thematic or topical collection of them, if only more lands would feature them on stamps!