Raspberries

Wild raspberries are still a common sight almost everywhere in the United States with almost all of the commercial production coming primarily from California, Washington, and Oregon. Raspberries are available in red, black, purple and gold hues, with red raspberries remaining the favorite. While raspberries and blackberries are members of the same genetic family, raspberries, unlike blackberries, do not retain their fruit core when they are picked. The berry itself is formed by many connecting drupelets, which are individual sections of fruit. The seeds in each drupelet provide the fruit a high fiber content.

Selection & Storage
To insure the best flavor, purchase raspberries in the peak of the season or as close to it as you can. Always seek out local berries when possible, since they are invariably the most flavorful. Raspberries are the most perishable of fruits, so choose them carefully. Stay away from fruits that are not true in color, or berries that are soft, wet, sticky to the touch or appear moldy. Plump, dry, firm, well-shaped, and uniformly colored fruit indicates it is ready to take home. If they are boxed in cardboard or other paper products, pay particular attention to the dampness and/or staining, especially at the bottom of the container. This may be evidence of significantly overripe, even decaying fruit. There shouldn't be any twigs or other debris in the packaging, so don't buy the fruit if it still has stems or leaves attached.

When you get them home, remove the fruit from the container, check all the pieces, and remove any soft, overripe fruit for immediate consumption and throw away any berries that are mushy or moldy. The remaining fruit should be blotted to remove excess water or juices and placed in a shallow plate or pan, covered with plastic wrap and placed in the refrigerator. Raspberries should be used immediately or you can freeze them for future use. Don't wash raspberries until you're ready to eat them or use them in a recipe, as they will turn moldy and mushy.

Preparation
Rinse gently and dry in a colander or on paper towels and use immediately. Raspberries provide a pleasant taste when combined with citrus fruits whether in the form of juices or fruit. Raspberries also make a great addition to fruit salads. Top a bowl of raspberries with yogurt, sour cream, whipped cream, or cr�me fraiche for an easy to make and delicious dessert.

Raspberries, like most berries freeze nicely, keeping up to ten months in the freezer. To freeze berries, rinse them gently and dry in a colander or on paper towels. Put them on a sheet pan or tray in the freezer. When frozen, put the berries in a bag. This way they won't stick to each other and you can measure out as much as you want for your morning cereal, ice cream topping, or pies, cobblers, cakes, and pastries.

When making syrup packs with raspberries, pack berries into containers and cover with a cold 50% syrup (1cup sugar to1cup water.) Seal, label and freeze.

Combine 1quart (1 1/3 pounds) berries with 3/4cup sugar to make a sugar pack. Turn the berries over and over until most of the sugar is dissolved. Fill containers. Seal, label and freeze.

To crush or pur�e raspberries, press the berries through a sieve. Add 1cup of sugar to every quart (2 pounds) of crushed berries or pur�e, and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pack into containers. Seal, label and freeze.

Tony's Tip
To make raspberry sauce for a chocolate cake, pur�e berries, and add 1 tablespoon of confectioners' sugar, and 1 tablespoon of Grand Marnier (use orange juice if you want a non-alcohol sauce.)

Tony's Favorite Recipe
Mixed Berries with Zabaglione

Red Rasberry Varieties
Willamette and Meeker are medium sized berries with small seeds, a hollow core, and loaded with flavor.

Heritage, Amity, and Sweet Briar are three other varieties that dominate commercially.

Black Rasberry Varieties
Blackcaps are native to North America and are small blue/black berries with a sweet, aromatic flavor, small seeds and a hollow core. Blackcaps are used in pies, jams, muffins, syrups, and are delicious served with dairy products.

Rasberry/Blackberry Hybrid Varieties
Baba Berry was found growing wild in California and is adapted to most of the United States. Many acres of this berry are planted in Texas, where they grow 10' tall and droop from the weight of the fruit, which makes them easy to pick. Available June - October.

Boysenberries are considered to be a blackberry crossed with a Loganberry or red raspberry. They are very large plump, juicy berries with a deep maroon color, and large seeds. Available July - August.

Loganberries are a cross between a blackberry and a red raspberry with a unique, tart flavor. This medium sized, deep red berry has medium seeds. It produces a very sweet yet tart juice for drinking, is used in pies, and wine. They are usually available June - July.

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