Raspberries

The raspberries must be picked on a daily basis. I've developed quite a routine around picking.  First, there's the clothing.  Long pants, long sleeves, shoes, and socks are the rule for protection against sharp, grabby thorns.  If one must pick during the heat of the day (not recommended) a sun hat is welcome. Then, an effective insect repellent must be applied. Without it, the risk of chiggers and other non-desirables is great.  The consequences of these critters often remain undetected until a much later time when there's nothing left to do but scratch.  Believe me, I speak from experience. I've had as many as 40 chigger bites after unprotected time in the berry patch!

With all that picking going on, the raspberries must also be eaten on a daily basis!  During berry season we eat plenty of fruit straight out of hand.  We load up our breakfast bowls with cereal and fruit or yogurt and fruit. We toss berries with other fruits and veggies to make delicious fresh salads. We toss them into smoothies. When we're in the mood to cook, we load up our pancakes and other quickbreads with berries.

Last night, I ended up with an abundance of berries.  I baked cornmeal muffins loaded with raspberries, then put the rest of them through the food mill, preparing to make jam. I got exactly the amount of prepared fruit I need for one batch of jam and put it in the freezer waiting for time to cook and jar it up.  I had already placed a bunch of berries in single layers on cookie sheets in the freezer.  I poured these individually frozen berries into a half-gallon milk carton for freezer storage.  It'll be easy to shake out a few for snacks or pancakes - or a bunch for cobbler - as needed.