North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Jim Fruth <jfruth@uslink.net>]

    Here, at Brambleberry Farm, we pick (red) raspberries every day.  We try
to pick only the fully ripe berries, which if left on the canes for another
day become over-ripe and either fall to the ground before the next day's
pick or fall off while being picked.  Some varieties perform better than
others.  We've not ever seen berries getting moldy while still on the canes.
    Black raspberries, on the other hand, don't fall off readily.  If left
undisturbed for a week or more, they continue to hang on and don't seem to
ever become over-ripe.  Again, I've not ever seen mold on a berry that was
still on the plant.
-- 

Jim Fruth
Brambleberry Farm
Pequot Lakes, MN
www.bberryfarm.com
Jams, Jellies and Syrups
(218)568-8483 [Store]
(218)831-7018 [My cell]

> They need to be picked every couple of days; even if the weather is so
> wet that the berries are already moldy and will just need to be
> tossed; otherwise the moldy ones may infect the others. They need to
> be marketed with similar frequency, since they don't store for very
> long. So they're actually pretty time consuming for the grower. For
> the home gardener, of course, picking them is part of the pleasure; so
> the time spent is rarely noted.
>
> -- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
> Fresh-market organic produce, small scale