It's berry-picking time here at my Bedford, New York farm. So many of those small, fragrant, and refreshingly sweet raspberries are ready to harvest.
I grow red, black, and golden raspberries, and 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, we picked a nice batch of black and red raspberries. I am looking forward to sharing them with my daughter and grandchildren - they will love them.
Enjoy these photos.
I have several rows of raspberries on one side of my main greenhouse. They all produce so many fruits every summer. Most raspberry plants that grow taller and yield more fruit need to be properly supported on wire trellises. I use these granite posts at the ends of each row, and stretch strong gauge wire in between them.
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.
Next to my raspberries, I also grow gooseberries.
And in this section behind my raspberries, I have rows of delicious currants.
Yesterday, it was time to pick the black and red raspberries. And right on time, these bushes are all lush and exploding with delicious berries.
Here is my housekeeper, Elvira. She’s dropping the picked berries into a berry box. It’s okay to fill the container, but she’s 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.
We use both wood berry boxes and the fiber pulp berry boxes when harvesting. They have slotted sides for ventilation and are also eco-friendly.
Botanically, the raspberry is a shrub belonging to the Rosaceae family, in the genus Rubus.
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.
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.
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.
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. The black raspberry plant is a high producing early variety whose upright growth makes it easy for picking.
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.
It doesn’t take long to start filing the berry boxes. This all-purpose fruit is firm, sweet, and full of flavor. It tastes great eaten fresh off the stem or made into preserves. 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.
One plant can produce several hundred berries per season.
The berries will ripen gradually throughout the summer, so it’s important to check the crop every few days. Overripe berries will be mushy when harvested.
We also picked many red raspberries. It takes about two to three years for a new red raspberry plant to produce a significant crop of fruit.
All the red raspberries are also collected loosely in these berry boxes. Red raspberries must be picked and handled very carefully and checked for insects and rot. These berries are perfect.
Raspberries are unique because their roots and crowns are perennial, while their stems or canes are biennial. A raspberry bush can produce fruit for many years.
Raspberries are low in calories and fats, but very high in dietary fiber and antioxidants.
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.
Raspberries contain vitamins A and E and are also rich in minerals, such as potassium, manganese, copper, iron, and magnesium.
Raspberries are vigorous growers and will produce runners that fill up a bed. We will be picking more and more berries over the next few weeks.
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.
Look how many boxes of raspberries we harvested – not a bad first harvest, and just in time for the weekend holiday.