Velvety, juicy, gorgeously sweet and with a delicious hint of tartness, raspberries are not only a delightful fruit, they are also pretty as a jewel and packed with goodness. The British raspberry season lasts until October but the main picking month is July so start enjoying them now. The UK is the ninth largest raspberry producer in the world and in season, British raspberries (many grown in Scotland's "fruit belt") dominate the UK market. A member of the rose family and a bramble fruit like the blackberry, raspberries are delicately structured with a hollow core. This makes them very fragile and highly perishable so handle them carefully. Pick the squashed ones out of the box before storing them in your fridge and rinse them delicately under a trickle of water before eating. Like strawberries, raspberries are most flavourful when eaten at room temperature so take them out of the fridge 30 min before eating if you can. Raspberries are great for your health too. Low in calories, they possess almost 50% higher antioxidant activity (with potential cancer prevention properties) than strawberries, three times that of kiwis, and ten times the antioxidant activity of tomatoes. They are high in Vitamin C, B and manganese. And good news, freezing and storing raspberries does not significantly affect their antioxidant activity, although their concentration in vitamin C is halved by the freezing process. Raspberries are a splendid companion to chocolate (from white to dark), vanilla, nuts and almonds, making them one of the best fruit friends for a sweet-toothed gourmet. You can serve them whole with cakes or ice cream, or make a quick coulis by crushing them with a fork with a drizzle of lemon juice and a bit of icing sugar . Raspberries also work well in savoury dishes, toss a couple in a salad with fatty fish or crush some in a marinade to add a bit of tanginess. Tasty Diaries has lots of gorgeous raspberry recipes, check them out:
Luscious raspberry and almond cake
White chocolate mousse with fresh mint and raspberries
Hot smoked trout, raspberry and hazelnut salad
Vanilla and raspberry vacherin
Lightly spiced Pêche Melba
Unforgettable warm chocolate fondant