Oh, got carried away and missed another question. I’m actually throwing all good quality stuff in melomels, there are no favorites really. Other than Vaccinium uliginosum (English words for berries are terribly misleading, used interchangeably for pretty much all berries of same color - so these are usually called “blueberries”, but that’s not what is called “blueberries” in USA, for example) berries that result in something that shames wine made of grapes - so much cheaper, literally grows in most unfarmable places, melomel tastes similarly but better, and no pretense about “grape locality” and “northern slope” - just good stuff, every time.

Cranberries and lingonberries are kind of staple berries here, rowan is less known but also abundant and tastes great. Other hidden treasures I’ve found include hawthorn, ribes, and (very unexpectedly) hippophae. Now it’s time for imported citrus fruits (skins are best part for melomel) but I’m all out of started base mead (and almost out of space).