Picking Golden Raspberries
It's now officially fall, but here at my Bedford, New York farm we’re still picking the last of summer’s delicious fruits - those small, fragrant, and refreshingly sweet raspberries.
Last week, I noticed there were many golden raspberries growing on my shrubs, so we started picking them right away. Golden raspberries are much like the red raspberries except for their color - they're also extremely sweet with honeyed apricot tones and just a subtle hint of tartness. Although raspberries are best eaten raw, I love to use them as ingredients in jams and jellies, pies and tarts.
Enjoy these photos.
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- I have several rows of raspberries on one side of my main greenhouse. They all produce many fruits every summer. Most raspberry plants need additional support to grow properly. I use these granite posts at the ends of each row, and stretch strong gauge wire in between them to hold up the plants.
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- Although not as bright and easy to see as the red raspberries, these shrubs are filled with ripe, golden raspberries. Botanically, all raspberries grow on shrubs belonging to the Rosaceae family, in the genus Rubus.
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- The raspberry is made up of small “drupe” fruits which are arranged in a circular fashion around a hollow central cavity. Each drupelet features a juicy pulp with a single seed.
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- Here is my housekeeper, Enma, picking bowls of sweet golden fruits. Golden raspberry plants are primocane bearing, meaning they bear fruit off the first year canes in the late summer.
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- Golden raspberries are also sometimes referred to as yellow raspberries and have a yellow-pink color.
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- And they tend to have a sweeter, milder flavor than their red counterparts.
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- Golden raspberries are a good source of vitamins B and C, folic acid, copper, iron, antioxidants, and ellagic acid, a phenolic compound known to prevent cancer. They also have a high proportion of dietary fiber.
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- There are more than 200-species of raspberries. In the United States, about 90-percent of all raspberries sold come from the states of Washington, California and Oregon. Since golden varieties are less common, they are usually sold as a specialty berries at farmers markets.
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- Raspberries are quite fragile, so Enma is careful not to pack them in or press them down. All the picked fruits are kept in the shade until they go into the fridge.
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- Once raspberries are picked they stop ripening, so under-ripe berries that are harvested will never mature to the maximum sweetness. Only ripe raspberries will come right off the stem.
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- Some of the more popular golden raspberry cultivars include ‘Fall Gold’, ‘Anne’, ‘Goldie’, ‘Kiwigold’, ‘Golden Harvest’, and ‘Honey Queen’.
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- Most golden raspberry varieties are hardy to USDA zones 2 through 10, and are easy to maintain.
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- The taste of raspberries varies by cultivar, and ranges from sweet to acidic. They are great for use in pies and tarts, and other desserts. They can also be used in cereals, ice-creams, juices and herbal teas.
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- Plant golden raspberries in either the late fall or early spring and select a sunny site with afternoon shade.
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- They should be planted in rich, slightly acidic, well-drained soil that has been generously supplemented with compost and well rotted manure. I am very fortunate to have such excellent soil here at the farm.
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- After the season, when the weather turns cold, all the berry bushes will be pruned. Pruning produces larger berries in greater volumes – it also helps to control diseases that might otherwise spread through the berry patches.
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- Enma was able to pick enough golden berries to fill three large stainless steel bowls.
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- Enma also spotted a few more red raspberries ready to pick.
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- This all-purpose fruit is firm, sweet and full of flavor.
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- Ripe raspberries are rich in color, whether they are red, golden or black. The entire berry should be consistently colored also, and full in shape before picking.
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- It’s hard to resist eating them right out of the bowl, but I can’t wait to use these berries to make jams and desserts. And remember, to save berries for use at another time, freeze them – lay them out onto flat trays in single layers and freeze until solid. Once they are frozen, they can be moved into plastic containers or freezer bags until ready to eat.
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