Liberty

Liberty is a northern highbush from James Hancock's Michigan State University program: emasculated flowers of the Australian cultivar 'Brigitta' were pollinated with 'Elliott' in 1991, the seedling was chosen from a group of 54 siblings in 1997, and it was released in 2004 in the same batch as 'Draper' and 'Aurora'. The breeding target was a very late fresh-market berry that people actually enjoy eating - 'Elliott', the late-season standard it was meant to displace, rates lowest for flavour among cultivars surveyed in Michigan because of high acidity and low aroma. Liberty ripens about five days before 'Elliott' and ten to fourteen days before 'Aurora', stretching the season without pushing into autumn frost. MSU Extension recommends it for machine harvest into the fresh market on the strength of its firmness and dry scar. Its practical weakness is fruit set: extension work attributes its lower yields to limited pollination efficiency.