This spring, soon after the wild black raspberries bloomed, the fruit set that promised a future bounty was obvious.
Starting mid-June, volunteers and staff headed out every three days to bring in this year’s crop of wild black raspberries at Long Branch Farm & Trails. Bear in mind that these are from wild, and are wild tended patches (wild tended = when self-perpetuating native plant populations are encouraged).
For our volunteer crews, we make a habit of explaining the greater purpose behind their work. In the case of these wild black raspberries, the fruits are destined for hand-crafted wild black raspberry syrup to be used in a foraged cocktail for this year's Forager's Fest on September 20.
One might ask, couldn’t we have gone to the store and just bought frozen raspberries—an easy check off our shopping list? Sure we could, but they’d lack provenance and a tie to our lands. These wild black raspberries will allow the land to speak through a “conservation in a glass” cocktail. And don’t forget the unmatched flavor of our native “blackcap” raspberry. Store bought…bah.
And since you’re peering into the inner working of our foraging and indigenous plant agriculture operation, I’ll share some of the instructions we shared with the crew.
Lessons from the wild black raspberries:
• Nature does not operate on our human timeline. Wild black raspberries are ripening a full two weeks earlier than last summer. We need to get them when they’re offered, and that’s now.
• Nature’s gives us cues but we need to pay attention. If you pay attention, black raspberries let you know where they want to grow, and where they can be found. The most productive canes are on the edge of the forest in partial sun—the ones in full sun have such profuse growth that they fall over and get all matted.
• Wild black raspberries don’t all ripen at the same time. Look for raspberries that are full, dark, and soft. They should easily pop off—if you have to pull too hard, it’s not ripe (and less nutritious).
• Be prepared to explain what we’re doing when we encounter hikers. As there is no visitor foraging at our sites, and this black raspberry project is a great example of why. This special crop is saved to create many future experiences for a wide range of visitors and programs.
