Page 27 - ALG Issue 3 2018

History of Raspberries
Raspberries – Rubus ideaus – are thought to have originated in the Ide Mountains
of Turkey and have been spread across Europe by the Romans; seeds have been discovered at Roman forts in Britain.
The British popularised and improved raspberries throughout the Middle-Ages and had exported the plants to New York by 1771. British Cookery books of this date include recipes for raspberry wine and vinegar, sweets and jams. The village of Concèze in France holds a Raspberry Festival on the 11th July each year, where 6,000 people go along to meet producers, sample dishes such as Peach Melba or duck cooked in raspberry vinegar and witness the creation of a giant raspberry tart. In the late 1950s raspberries were taken by the Raspberry Special train from growers in Scotland to the fruit market in Covent Garden. Raspberries are still grown in Scotland, benefiting from the loamy soils that warm up quickly and enjoy good drainage, long summer daylight hours and relatively moderate temperatures.
How to grow
Raspberries grow well under cooler conditions; they will suffer badly in the hotter summers. Ideally, they like to have their roots in cool, moist shade and their heads in the light. Traditionally raspberries are associated with the west of Scotland because of the ideal growing conditions that it can provide. On lighter freer draining soils that dry out quickly, raspberries will struggle unless plenty of organic, moisture holding material is worked into it. An annual mulch applied during March will also help to conserve moisture and keep the roots cool.
There are summer fruiting and autumn fruiting cultivars of raspberries. Both are planted at the same time but the methods of management are different. Plant from late October to November whilst the soil still has enough warmth in it to encourage further root development and the air temperature is low enough to prevent the shoot buds from breaking into growth.
Planting depth - 5cms/2ins, 45cms/18ins apart with 2metres/6ft between rows. Make sure that the growth buds along the roots are below the surface of the soil to prevent them from drying out. Plant firmly and then cut the cane down to 15cms/6ins above the soil.
Cultivation - In March top dress along the rows with a general fertiliser, stirring
it in with a hoe; at the same time apply a mulch between the rows of canes covering all of the soil area. During the summer, hoe regularly between the rows to control any shoots that may produce away from the main lines.
Summer fruiting raspberries bear fruit on the previous summer’s growth. This means that you will have to accept that the canes that are in the first summer will have to be tied in as explained below but they will not
be able to fruit until the following summer, after which they are treated as described.
Summer fruiting types must be pruned soon after they have finished cropping.
This can be from late July until the end of September depending on the cultivar. Cut away the ties holding the old fruiting canes to the supporting wires and then prune them down to soil level, leaving only the fresh young canes that have been produced during the current summer. Not all of the new canes will be required for the next year; select the five best canes per plant spacing them out evenly along the wire before tying them in.
During late February tip back the canes to 1.9metres/6ft to induce more flower production along the canes.
Autumn fruiting raspberries bear fruit on the current season’s growth.
Autumn fruiting raspberries are pruned during February when the new season’s shoots are just showing through the surface of the soil. Cut all of the previous season’s growth down to soil level. It is difficult to control the growth of the autumn bearers because they tend to form a thicket and not grow in an orderly line. The canes cannot
be tied to any form of support, but they can be enclosed within a fence of stakes and stout string. They are not pruned down at the end of the season but allowed to go into the winter still carrying all of the summer’s canes. Hoe ruthlessly in between the rows to keep them free of suckers and don’t allow the lines to creep out and thicken.
The first summer raspberries are ready
for harvesting in early summer, whereas autumn raspberries won’t mature until late summer. The fruit is ripe when it can be easily removed from the plant without being squashed. Do not be tempted to pick unripe
fruit as it will not ripen further after harvest. Select the brightest red berries or if picking golden varieties, select the plumpest fruit. Pick on a dry day. Eat them fresh, freeze them, or make into preserves.
There are many varieties of raspberries and they have also been crossed with
other berries to form new species. The loganberry is a cross between raspberries and blackberries; the boysenberry is a cross between blackberries and loganberries; the nessberry is a cross between a dewberry, raspberry and a blackberry.
Fruit focus
Cranachan recipe
Ingredients for 4 servings
• 2 tbsp medium oatmeal
• 300g fresh allotment raspberries • A little caster sugar
• 350ml double cream or whipping
cream
• 2 tbsp heather honey
• 2-3 tbsp whisky, to taste
1. Toast the oatmeal, spread it out on a baking sheet and grill until it smells rich and nutty. Cool.
2. Crush and sieve half the fruit. Sweeten with a little caster sugar. 3. Whisk the cream until just set and
stir in the honey and whisky.
4. Stir in the oatmeal and whisk lightly
until the mixture is just firm
5. Alternate layers of the cream with
the remaining whole raspberries
and purée
6. Allow to chill slightly before eating.
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