Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Raspberry Reverie

They're back! Rubus strigosus. A little bit sweet, a little bit tart. Dusky red when ripe and oh-so-fragile. Careful! Don't squeeze 'em when you pick 'em. An antidote to summer's swelter. Red raspberries.



Our bushes are a variety that begins to bear fruit in June. At first it's a modest crop and the berries are pretty small. I like to call them nuggets. Every few days we can gather several cups of them.

Here's a recipe for Raspberry Nuggets -
Take 10 to 12 nuggets.
Make a cup of your hand.
Pour the nuggets into the cup.
Open your mouth.
Toss the nuggets in.
Chew slowly. Let that delicate flavor play on your taste buds.
Smile.

In addition to this recipe, I put the berry morsels in yogurt, on granola, in my morning oatmeal with maple syrup, and, oh my gosh, on buckwheat pancakes. Right now there are even enough raspberries to make a pan or two of my Ruby Slipper Brownies. Brownies are always a treat but the berries take a starring role in these.

Come September the bushes usually kick up production and the berries get larger and more numerous. You have more to show for your picking time. But I'm in no hurry. A bowl of these lovelies every few days is enough to keep me in smiles for the next month or two...

3 comments:

  1. Ruby Slipper Brownies are oh-so-very evocative! But I agree, the nuggets of raspberry are just the best, all on their own. We celebrate the fruits of summer, much as we can!

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  2. I'll never forget the first time I ate a just-picked raspberry, still warm from the sun - it was like liquid sunshine. There's nothing to compare. Enjoy!

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  3. I think I must be the only person in Missouri who doesn't like fresh raspberries. I'm more of a blackberry girl - and the wilder the bramble, the better the berry. You should see the crazy brambles back behind the house at Watkins Mill!

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