05/23/2026
🍒🍓🍇Did you know that raspberries are a member of the rose family? Now did you know that many fruits (such as apples, pears, quinces, various stone fruits, loquats, and strawberries) are also in the rose family? Now that’s a spectacular springtime fact!
Like strawberries, raspberries are an aggregate fruit, meaning they develop from the merging of several ovaries in a single flower (as opposed to a simple fruit which develops from a single o***y or a multiple fruit which forms from multiple flowers). Another way to think about this is by looking at a raspberry itself: each small sphere, also known as a drupelet, aggregates together to form one whole raspberry. Neat!
Many raspberries are planted in the winter, and while all cultivars of raspberries have perennial roots, most biennial shoots. This means that shoots grow in the first growing season and fruits grow in the second growing season. Their flowers are a major source of nectar for pollinators.
Raspberries are a rich source of vitamin C, manganese, and dietary fiber. While raspberries are exceptionally delicious raw, they can also be made into baked goods, jams, liqueurs, and ice creams. Their leaves can even be made into teas and herbal medicines!