What is it?

Raspberries, the most intensely flavored member of the berry family, are made up of connected drupelets (individual sections of juicy pulp, each with a single seed) surrounding a central core. The most common raspberries are red, but you’ll find black, golden, and even pink raspberries at farmers’ markets and specialty stores. The differences in flavor are subtle, but a mix is beautiful.

Like most fruit these days, raspberries are available just about year-round, but it’s best to take advantage of those few weeks in summer when local raspberries call your name at the farmers’ market. Depending on the region, they are available from May through November.

Raspberries love to be paired with lemon, chocolate, ginger, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, coconut, fresh figs, mint, and stone fruit of all sort

How to choose:

Look for plump, fragrant berries. When shopping, examine the box to check for freshness. If you see juice stains, it’s probably a sign of moldy berries inside. Hold the closed raspberry container upside down. If berries stick to the bottom inside liner, they’re crushed and it’s likely some are moldy, so choose another box. Even in the height of summer, berries are a bit of an investment, so befriend your produce merchant and request a taste before you buy.

How to prep:

Despite that big explosion of berry flavor, raspberries are extremely fragile. Washing berries isn’t ideal, but if you want to be safe, wash them right before using them. Fill a bowl with cold water, gently add the berries, and then lift them out with your hands—again, gently. Let the berries dry in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with paper towels.

If you’re baking with raspberries, be sure to taste your berries before starting the recipe. If the berries are very sweet, you may want to reduce the sugar a little. On the other hand, if they seem a bit lackluster, a bit more sugar, some lemon juice, and even a pinch of salt will do wonders to amp up flavor.

How to store:

Local raspberries appear for such a brief time in summer you need to pounce while you can and indulge. If you have more berries than you know what to do with, freeze them in a single layer and then transfer them to zip-top bags and stash them in the freezer. And there they’ll be, waiting to wow you months after berry season has gone.

Recipes

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  Recipe

  Fresh Greek Yogurt with Mixed Berries

  厚,奶油,扑鼻的自制酸奶配上fresh berries and honey makes a delicious dessert after a healthful meal.

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  Recipe

  Beet-Berry Smoothie Bowl

  This beautiful red bowl packs a nutritional punch with help from the beets, hemp seeds, and yogurt. If you don’t like the texture of raw beets, steam them before adding…

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  Recipe

  Personal Pavlovas

  Individual-sized pavlovas are a simple-yet-festive gluten-free dessert, and this recipe illustrates how easy they are to customize just the way you like them, with options for flavoring the meringue shell,…

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  Recipe

  Raspberry-Pineapple Agua Fresca

  This fruity sweet-tart combo is a perfect refresher on a summer day.

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  Recipe

  Chocolate Raspberry Charlotte Royale

  Deep chocolate cake and ganache with a creamy raspberry interior and a stunning presentation make this showstopper the perfect end to any celebratory meal. See the article for step-by-step photos.…

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  Recipe

  Nectarine-Raspberry Cobbler

  Proving the adage "what grows together goes together," nectarines and raspberries make a heavenly late-summer pairing in this gorgeous cobbler.

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  Recipe

  Huckleberry Croustades

  A combination of huckleberries and blackberries or raspberries makes a great filling for this dessert, but you can use any berries you have on hand—just be sure they’re ripe and…

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  Recipe

  White Chocolate Bark with Pistachios, Raspberries and Candied Violets

  This colorful bark explodes with tart, toasty flavors.

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  Recipe

  Honey-Vanilla Greek Yogurt Mousse with Sticky Balsamic Berries

  A quick balsamic and black pepper glaze underpins the season’s most colorful fruits in this cool dessert. You’ll need a few hours to strain the yogurt and a few more…

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  Recipe

  Raspberry Zebra Cheesecake

  This decadent raspberry–vanilla zebra cheesecake is a showstopping, sophisticated version of one of America’s favorite desserts, and it’s deceivingly easy to prepare. Both the crisp, nutty crust and smooth, airy…