Raspberries!

How do raspberries grow?

Farmers grow

raspberries on vines.

When they ripen, they pick them and take them to market for YOU to

buy!

Did you know that Whatcom County is the top producer of

raspberries in Washington State?Our state grows over 60% of our

country’s berries.

Whatcom County raspberry pickers at work. Look at the big picking machine– and how people sort the delicate berries into trays.

Raspberry Nutrition

Raspberries belong in the rose family.

Raspberries grow in 4 different colors,

although red and black are

the most common.

(They can also be yellow and

purple.)

Raspberries are rich in Vitamin

C.

Raspberries produce more fiber per calorie than any

other common

fruit– even prunes!

Raspberry information: http://www.jellismarket.com/raspberry%20facts.htm and  http://www.joyofbaking.com/Raspberries.html#ixzz1jDP5l43f

According to ancient Greek myth, all raspberries were once white. That was until the day God Jupiter flew into a rage, and the Nymph Ida, to appease him, went and picked some wild raspberries. It seems that

while she picked the berries, she pricked her finger on the thorns of the raspberry bush. Legend has it that her blood, from that point on,

stained all raspberries a bright red color.

Good Preservation

But raspberries are ripe in the summer. How can I eat local raspberries now?

Raspberries are GREAT to freeze. Frozen berries are picked at the height of the local season, then quickly frozen and packaged to hold their flavor and nutrition all

year.

For instance, berries that are grown in

South America during our winter are shipped thousands of miles to

get to our supermarkets. Often they are picked early so the ripening is off

the plant and in controlled shipping

containers.

Buying and eating locally grown produce uses less gas and special packaging, and may actually feed you more nutrition than “fresh” shipped counterparts.

In many cases, frozen produce can surpass the quality of “fresh” shipped

produce out of season from other parts of the world.