Seasonal Availability:
Raspberries are often harvested throughout the summer in Wisconsin, with both summer-bearing and fall-bearing cultivars available. Raspberries are technically not a berry, but aggregate brambles, a collection of little fruits around a hollow center.
Health Benefits:
Raspberries are high in fiber, vitamin C, and manganese (a mineral that helps your body use that vitamin C). They also have vitamins B2, K, folate; and the minerals magnesium, potassium, and copper.
How to Select:
Loop for plump, firm berries that are slightly soft with deep color. Avoid berries that are not yet ripe (they do not continue to ripen after they are picked), or have excess moisture or mold.
How to Store:
Raspberries are delicate and need to be carefully handled: they are best used soon after picking. If you want to quickly preserve their perfectly ripened summer sweetness, spread them out on a rimmed baking sheet (so they aren’t touching one another), freeze for at least four hours, and then transfer to airtight containers.
How to Prepare:
Like most berries, raspberries are fantastic on their own or as an accompaniment for any meal of the day. For breakfast, add to hot cereal, cold yogurt, or breads (scones, waffles, pancakes). At lunch, add them to salads or pair them with cream cheese and other sliced fruit on an open-faced sandwich. As preserves or in a sauce they pair well with chicken and salmon. Upgrade cranberry sauce with the addition of raspberries for an incredible topping for turkey.
Recipe: Raspberry Cream Scones
Recipe Information
Total Time: 35 minutes; 20 minutes active
Servings: 6 3-inch scones
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons cold butter, cut or grated into small pieces
- 6 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 egg, separated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, egg yolk and vanilla.
Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, blend the cold butter with the flour mixture until it resembles coarse bread crumbs. Gently toss the raspberries with the flour and butter mixture, and slowly add the cream and egg yolk mixture. Gently blend just until the dough holds together.
Place the dough on a floured surface and gently pat out until about 1/2- to 1-inch thick. Cut the dough into 3-inch circles using a cookie or biscuit cutter, and place on a greased or non-stick baking sheet. Gently push the remaining scraps of dough back together and cut more scones until all the dough is used. Brush the tops of the scones with the beaten egg white and bake for 10-14 minutes until just starting to brown.
Nutritional Information
190 calories, 10 g. fat, 61 mg. cholesterol, 170 mg. sodium, 22 g. carbohydrate, 2 g. fiber, 4 g. protein
Recommended reading:
Chilled raspberry pie? Hazelnut torte with summer berries? Yes, please! In The Four Season Farm Gardener’s Cookbook by Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman, these two recipes are accompanied with great tips and tricks on the “hill system” method of growing raspberries on your own property (your future self will thank you). The book is available through the Hudson Area Public Library.
What about you?
Savory or sweet? What’s your preferred way to use these little celebrations of summer? Head on over to our Facebook page to join in the conversation!
Want to see more local, fresh produce in your fridge? Now’s your chance to become an owner of the Hudson Grocery Cooperative—which will be a locally-owned, full-service grocery store that offers diverse food and product choices including organic, sustainable and regionally sourced options for our community.
Image and recipe credit Welcome to the Table.
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