July 5, 2009 - Raspberry Rewards

Welcome to the Nature Notebook.

There is something rewarding about tramping through early morning dew to pick raspberries. The sweet, ripe fruit seems to melt in your mouth. These wild berries come with a price tag, however. Berry juice stains on hands and clothes are minor annoyances, but foraging bees can be a real nuisance. And there are the pricks and scratches from raspberry thorns. These are minor costs for the reward of plump, ripe berries practically falling into your hand and then popped into mouth or bucket. As a bonus, raspberries are high in vitamins A and C, potassium and calcium. Unfortunately, wet weather causes ripening raspberries to mold, so time your picking accordingly to find them at their prime. Of course, if you can’t find wild raspberries, you might locate a pick-your-own raspberry farm to enjoy just-off-the-vine flavor.

This is PPL's naturalist, Jon Beam, with the Nature Notebook for WVIA.