Gettting To Know The Raspberry

The fruit needs ample sun and water for optimal development. While moisture, as with all fruit, is essential, wet and heavy soils or excess irrigation can bring on Phytophthora root rot which is one of the most serious pest problems facing red raspberry. It is very easy to grow and has a tendency to spread unless pruned so if you decide to take this one on plan accordingly or you will be seeing this take over quickly.

Birds are also the best way for nature to keep the fruit expanding and at times can be a bit challenging to keep under control. There are two types of the most commercially grown kinds of raspberry available, the summer type that produces an abundance of fruit on the 2nd year canes within a relatively short period in mid-summer, and double or ever-bearing plants, which also bear some fruit on first-year canes in summer and fall.

The best time to plan for your new addition is in the winter as dormant canes plug plants produced by tissue culture has become much more common. A specialized production system called "long cane production" involves growing canes for 1 year in a northern climate such as Scotland (UK) or Washington State (US) where the chilling requirement for proper budbreak is met early. These canes are then dug, roots and all, to be replanted in warmer climates such as Spain where they quickly flower and produce a very early season crop. Plants should be evenly spaced 1 m apart in fertile, well drained soil; raspberries are usually planted in raised beds/ridges if there is any question about root rot problems.

Watch out for the our friends the bees! The flowers can be a major nectar source for honeybees and other pollinators. As we said above this fruit can spread vigorously and can be locally invasive. They expand wildly using basal shoots (also known as suckers); extended underground shoots that develop roots and individual plants. They can sucker new canes some distance from the main plant.

For this reason, we encourage special consideration to your initial plans for setting up your garden areas as raspberries spread well, and can take over gardens if left unchecked. The fruit is harvested when it comes off the torus/receptacle easily and has turned a deep color (red, black, purple, or golden yellow, depending on the species). This is when the fruits are most ripe and sweetest. Excess fruit can be made into jam or frozen.

The leaves can be used fresh or dried in herbal and medicinal teas. They have an astringent flavour, and in herbal medicine are reputed to be effective in regulating menses.An individual raspberry weighs about 4 g, on average[2] and is made up of around 100 drupelets,[3] each of which consists of a juicy pulp and a single central seed. fruits bushes can yield several hundred berries a year. Unlike blackberries and dewberries, a raspberry has a hollow core once it is removed from the receptacle.

Raspberry Cobbler

2 tbl cornstarch.1 1/2 cup sugar. 1 tbl lemon juice. 4 cup raspberries, picked over, rinsed and drained well.1 cup flour.1 tsp baking powder.1/2 tsp salt.6 tbl unsalted butter, cold, cut into bits. Vanilla ice cream. (KEY)

Preparation Instructions:

In a large bowl, stir together the cornstarch an 1/4 cup cold water until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Add 1 cup sugar, lemon juice, and raspberries, and combine the mixture gently but thoroughly. Transfer to an 8-inch cast-iron skillet. In a bowl, combine well the flour, remaining sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1/4 cup boiling water and stir the mixture until it just forms a dough. Bring the raspberry mixture to a boil on top of the stove, stirring. Drop spoonfuls of the dough carefully onto the boiling mixture, and bake the cobbler on a foil lined baking sheet in the middle of a 400F degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until the topping is golden. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

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