The Raspberries are Ready for Picking
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, it's time to harvest those small, fragrant, and refreshingly sweet raspberries - one of the most popular berries in the United States.
I grow lots of red, black, and golden raspberries in a patch just behind my greenhouse. The right time for picking is early summer when the fruits are vivid in color and ready to fall off their stems. Although they are best eaten raw, raspberries are used in a variety of ways - as ingredients in jams and jellies, pies and tarts, or juices and herbal teas. Yesterday, my housekeepers, Sanu and Enma, picked a nice batch of raspberries - I am looking forward to sharing them with my family and friends.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
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- I have several rows of raspberries on one side of my main greenhouse. They all produce many fruits every summer. The berries will ripen gradually throughout the season, so it’s important to check the crop every few days.
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- This day brought a drizzle of rain, but Sanu is still quite happy to pick all these delicious berries – the boxes are filled very quickly.
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- Botanically, the raspberry is a shrub belonging to the Rosaceae family, in the genus Rubus.
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- Sanu knows to pick those fruits that are bright red in color – the peach-colored raspberries need a bit more time to ripen. Only ripe berries will come off the stems easily.
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- Enma fills another box. Summer-bearing raspberry bushes produce one crop each season. The fruits typically start ripening in late June into July with a crop that lasts about one month. Red raspberries must be picked and handled very carefully and checked for insects and rot. These berries are perfect.
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- These bushes are lush and exploding with berries – and right on time. One plant can produce several hundred berries per season.
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- Most raspberry plants need additional support to grow properly. I use these granite posts at the end of each row, and stretch strong gauge wire in between them to hold up the plants. These antique posts are from China. They were originally used to support grape vines.
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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.
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- Raspberries need full sun for the best berry production. 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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- It’s hard to resist eating these gorgeous berries straight off the stem. Fresh raspberries are an excellent source of vitamin-C. 100-grams of berries provides nearly 50-percent of the daily recommended intake of vitamin-C. Consuming adequate amounts supports the immune system and helps fight infections.
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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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- I also grow golden raspberries, Some of the more popular golden raspberry cultivars include ‘Fall Gold’, ‘Anne’, ‘Goldie’, ‘Kiwigold’, ‘Golden Harvest’, and ‘Honey Queen’.
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- Although not as bright and easy to see as the red raspberries, these golden raspberry shrubs are filled with ripe fruits.
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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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- Raspberries are quite fragile, so Sanu is careful not to pack them in or press them down in the box. Golden raspberries are sometimes referred to as yellow raspberries and have a yellow-pink color. And they tend to have a sweeter, milder flavor than their red counterparts.
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- Golden raspberry plants are primocane bearing, meaning they bear fruit off the first year canes in summer. These fruits need a couple more days – then they’ll be just perfect for picking.
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- Some varieties produce a more mottled look. This middle raspberry has varying shades of gold to red.
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- I also have an abundance of ripe black raspberries growing. These all-purpose fruits are 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. The darkest ones here will be picked – the lighter ones will be left to ripen some more.
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- Here are two deep colored raspberries ready for harvest.
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- Raspberries are unique because their roots and crowns are perennial, while their stems or canes are biennial.
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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. They must be picked at just the right time.
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- This black raspberry plant is a high producing early variety whose upright growth makes it easy for picking.
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- Sanu fills another box of bold colored black raspberries.
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- Look for berries with firm plumpness and a good size.
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- Look at all these delicious boxes of fruit – so exciting, and not bad for a first harvest. And here’s a tip 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. What a wonderful summer it will be with all these delicious and nutritious fruits. Be sure to check out our July/August 2019 issue of “Living” for making No-Churn Raspberry Frozen Yogurt.
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