How to Make the Most of Raspberry Season

Varieties

• Red: The most popular variety, this sweet treat is packed with fiber.
• Black: Slightly tarter, they’re mostly found at farmers’ markets.
• Yellow: This natural mutation of red raspberries is especially sweet.

Raspberry How-To Guide

How to Buy Raspberries: Your berries should be bright red, evenly colored and (duh) mold-free. Check the top and bottom of the container; if it looks leaky, try another.

How to Store Raspberries: Refrigerate unwashed berries for up to three days, but keep them away from the chilly back of the fridge, where they might get frostbite. Or freeze them off the bat: Wash and dry the berries, spread them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and slide into the freezer. Once berries are hard, drop them into a ziptop bag; they’ll keep for up to a year.

How to Cook with Raspberries: Wait until the last minute to prep fresh raspberries: Rinse them with cold water and gently pat them dry. With frozen ones, toss them straight into the batter for baked goods, or microwave them on the defrost setting about 3 1/2 minutes. 

Try our Fresh Raspberry Barbecue Sauce

Now try these recipes!

Fruity Spinach & Poppyseed Salad

In a large bowl, mash a small handful of fresh raspberries with a fork; whisk in chopped shallot, lemon juice, EVOO and a palmful of poppyseeds. Toss with spinach, feta and toasted almonds.

Parfait Pie

Fill a graham-cracker crust with vanilla Greek yogurt. Top with fresh raspberries, granola and honey; serve. 

5 Things You Didn't Know About Raspberries

1. Obligatory Prince Reference

Remember the Artist’s 1985 earworm “Raspberry Beret”? The hook-filled hit was an ode to a woman who was way ahead of the vintage trend in her natty, fruit-hued hat.

2. So Rude!

How did an innocent fruit become a byword for sticking out your tongue and blowing? Blame the Brits, whose Cockney rhyming slang used “raspberry tart” to mean, ahem, “fart.” Over time it became “raspberry,” and got its sound effect.

3. Fruity Look-Alikes

The black raspberry, a cousin of the red ones, is often confused with a blackberry. Here’s how to tell which one’s in your fruit salad or fancy tart: Raspberries are hollow at the core, while blackberries have a solid, white center.

4. Feel Your Berry Best

Raspberries are full of manganese, which may help relieve cramps and other symptoms of PMS, especially when eaten along with calcium-rich foods. One sundae with raspberry sauce, please!

5. Why So Blue?

Ever notice that many raspberry-flavored treats are bright blue? One theory as to why: In 1970, the makers of Icee drinks wanted to distinguish between their cherry and raspberry flavors. Inspired by the royal blue in the company logo, “blue raspberry” was born. Brain: frozen. Mind: blown.

10 More Raspberry Recipes to Try:

Speedy Raspberry-Almond Scones

Try our Speedy Raspberry-Almond Scones

Berry & Acai Smoothie Bowl

Try our Berry & Acai Smoothie Bowl

Berry Upside-Down Chocolate Cake

Try our Berry Upside-Down Chocolate Cake

Jacques Pépin's Chocolate, Nut & Fruit Treats

Try Jacques Pépin's Chocolate, Nut & Fruit Treats

Raspberry Gin Fizz

Try our Raspberry Gin Fizz

Red Fruit Salad with Balsamic Vinegar & Basil

Try our Red Fruit Salad with Balsamic Vinegar & Basil

Berry Soft Serve

Try our Berry Soft Serve

PB & Berry Pie

Try our PB & Berry Pie

Icy Raspberry Smoothie

Try our Icy Raspberry Smoothie

White Chocolate and Raspberry S'mores

Try our White Chocolate and Raspberry S'mores