Raspberries: Everything You Need to Know - Northwest Naturals (2024)

by R&D Innovation

Raspberries: Everything You Need to Know - Northwest Naturals (1)

June’s Fruit of the Month is raspberry! The sweet, tart and floral notes allow raspberries to stand alone as the primary flavor as well as compliment others in a wide array of applications. From sweets like pies or chocolate bars to drinks like milkshakes or spiked kombuchas, utilizing raspberries has endless potential.

Let’s dive into its dynamic flavor profile, pairing recommendations, and available products to help you best utilize this rich, delicious fruit for your products!

Northwest Naturals Products Available

We have a wide range of raspberry products available, including raspberry juice blends. If you seek a juice blend not yet listed, we are ready to help you create it! Visit our blog post on creating custom blends for more details. Contact us to find out which option works best for your applications.

Season

Raspberries are harvested from May to September, though June to August is peak season.

Raspberry yield has been down due to scorching spring/summer weather in Washington, Oregon, and California – raspberry’s primary growing regions. The extreme heatwave in June 2021 was particularly harmful to last year’s yield, affecting price. We suggest using the WONF blends for full flavor at a more manageable cost.

Flavor Profiles

Raspberries have a sweetness and tartness that varies depending on their ripeness when picked. When picked riper, the sweeter they will taste. Additionally, they are aromatic and floral, with notes of rose and cherry. They can be seedy and sour or have a rich, jam-like sweetness.

Pairing Suggestions

Raspberries’ floral yet fruity notes make it a delicious blend with many flavors. Use it with other berries, citrus, apricot, peach, plum, rhubarb, chili peppers, ginger, mint, thyme, almond, hazelnut, and vanilla. It also pairs exceptionally well with chocolate. Apply these pairings and blends to your foods and beverage applications to create a unique, sophisticated, dynamic flavor experience!

Applications for Raspberries

Raspberries can expand your line of already quality products and broaden your business’ clientele. Whether you use raspberries alone or blended with another flavor, they can create memorable juices, co*cktails, beer, smoothies, kombucha, milkshakes, and other beverages.

You can elevate the average brunch with raspberry syrups, pancakes, waffles, crepes, oatmeal, cereal, yogurt, and jam. Desserts are an easy way to utilize raspberry’s sweet tartness. Use it in muffins, scones, cheesecakes, pies, cakes, tarts, chocolate bars, and ice cream.

For businesses that specialize in more savory products, raspberries perform well in salad dressings, especially vinaigrettes. BBQ sauce, gastriques, meat glazes, and even ketchup can be made uniquely memorable with the added raspberry punch.

For additional application ideas for raspberries and more, visit our website.

Request a Juice Sample Today!

Ready to craft your next bestseller? Request free juice samples and order products by creating a free Northwest Naturals account. It is a quick and easy way to gain a team of specialists ready to support all your flavor needs. Get started on your blueberry crowd-pleaser, and request a free sample today!

Raspberries: Everything You Need to Know - Northwest Naturals (2024)

FAQs

How many raspberries a day should you eat? ›

Fruit portion sizes
FruitAdult portion size (80g)Child portion size
Avocado1/2 standard avocado1/4 standard avocado
Fresh cherries14 cherries7 cherries
Grapes14 grapes7 grapes
Raspberries20 raspberries10 raspberries
14 more rows
Nov 22, 2022

How do you grow raspberries in the Pacific Northwest? ›

Raspberries produce best in full sun, but can tolerate partial shade. Raspberries grow best on a raised bed 8-10 inches high and 18-36 inches wide. We suggest working Gypsum into the raised beds. This will help prevent root rot.

What do you need to know about raspberries? ›

The average raspberry has about 100 drupelets, each with its own seed. There are over 200 varieties of raspberries. Raspberries contain 6 grams of fiber per cup, or 21% of your daily value. Raspberries are also high in vitamin C, providing 25mg or 28% of your daily value per cup.

Can you eat too many black raspberries? ›

Can You Eat Too Many Raspberries? For most individuals, it's safe to consume raspberries daily. However, overeating any one food can result in digestive distress.

What organ are raspberries good for? ›

They provide potassium, essential to heart function, and proven to lower blood pressure. The omega-3 fatty acids in raspberries can help prevent stroke and heart disease. They also contain a mineral called manganese, which is necessary for healthy bones and skin and helps regulate blood sugar.

What do raspberries do for your liver? ›

– In addition to their strong antioxidant properties, the polyphenolic compounds found in raspberries also exhibit other beneficial biological activities, including regulating inflammation, lipid metabolism, bile acid synthesis in the liver and the activity of the microbiota in the gastrointestinal tract – indicates ...

How long does it take a raspberry bush to produce fruit? ›

Raspberries will start producing fruit a year after planting. Rabbits love to eat the canes in winter. A chicken wire fence will help prevent rabbit damage.

Do raspberries prefer morning or afternoon sun? ›

Despite the sun-loving nature of raspberries, note that raspberries do not tolerate intense summer heat and should be planted to receive the morning sun and if possible be shaded from the afternoon sun, especially in hot summer regions.

What is the best tasting raspberry? ›

Caroline

Known for intense sweetness, 'Caroline' raspberries thrive in cooler climates. This is a little fussier raspberry plant, but the flavor is excellent, classic, and intense. Known as one of the sweetest berries, they ripen earlier the farther south you are, typically from August to the first frost.

What happens if you don't prune raspberries? ›

Unpruned raspberry bushes will still grow, but won't yield more berries. Leaving them unpruned also makes them more prone to disease. Raspberries bear fruit on two-year old canes, the canes that sprouted last season. Here, they look much better.

Do raspberries like pots or ground? ›

In theory, all raspberry varieties can be grown in pots or containers. However, some are definitely more suited to growing in pots than others. The more compact cultivars bred specifically to remain small are ideal, as they will not become top-heavy and potentially get damaged in the wind.

When should you not eat raspberries? ›

"If more than about a quarter of the berries are moldy, you're probably best off getting rid of all of those berries. But, if the rest are looking healthy, they're not bruised, they're not soft and there's no visible mold on them, they're probably OK to eat after you've washed them well," she says.

Why does my stomach hurt after eating raspberries? ›

Feeling sick after eating raspberries may be due to a food allergy. Symptoms can include stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. It could also be Oral Allergy Syndrome, a cross-reaction between certain pollens and raw fruits or vegetables, causing itching or swelling in the mouth.

Which berry is the healthiest? ›

Which Berry is Most Nutritious? They're all healthy choices, but the “best” distinction may well go to black raspberries, says dietitian Kathleen Johnson. A raspberry cousin with a deeper color, they provide very high antioxidant levels along with fiber and relatively little natural sugar.

Are raspberries healthier than blueberries? ›

Raspberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, manganese, and dietary fiber. They also contain ellagic acid, which has been shown to have anti-cancer properties. Blueberries, on the other hand, are packed with vitamin K, vitamin C, and antioxidants such as anthocyanins.

Are raspberries better for you than strawberries? ›

Raspberries have 8 grams of dietary fiber per cup and strawberries 3.2 grams of dietary fiber per cup. While both are beneficial for providing you dietary fiber, raspberries take the cake in this comparison and have the higher fiber content.

How many berries should I eat a day? ›

He suggested eating a cup of fresh berries a day when they're in season to reap the health benefits.

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