Raspberries

This is my favorite time of the season -- raspberry time!  Our fall-bearing raspberries have been slowing starting to ripen, a few here and there, over the last few weeks.  Audra, Aaron, and I go out into the backyard and fill up on them, one by one.  Yum!  No bucket needed.  When there are too many for us to snack on at one time, we know that the season is in full swing!  Today I picked about two cups' worth with my little 19-month-old panhandler by my side (the only currency she accepts is brambles).  Believe me, the two of us could have polished off all two cups right then and there, but I hid some of them from her instead, so that I'd have some to bring into the house.  I sure hope no one is allergic to bee stings, because there are zillions of bees out there.  They seem to mind their own business, though a couple weeks ago I was stung in the cutting garden.

When any quantity of berries makes it into the house, I rinse them, quick-freeze them individually on cookie sheets, and scrape them off into gallon zipper bags.  It's easy to add more berries to the bags as they roll in.  We enjoy them all winter in smoothies and baked oatmeal.

Raspberry

Jazzberry

Razzamatazzberry

Berryband 

Merryband

Jamming in Berryland

Raspberry rabbits

Brassberry band

Elephants skating 

On raspberry jam

~ From the children's book Jamberry by Bruce Degen