Raspberry

The raspberry (Rubus idaeus) is a very common plant in Southern and Central Finland, all the way to the Oulu-Kajaani region. Further north, raspberries can still be found here and there, but in Lapland, they are rare.

Just like the Arctic bramble and the cloudberry, the raspberry is an aggregate fruit. This means that it is composed of small, individual drupes. Raspberries are rich in sugars, malic acid and citric acid as well as natural flavourings, which makes them aromatic and delicious. Wild raspberries smell and taste better than garden varieties. That is why wild raspberries are a popular berry to pick and preserve. Raspberries contain a moderate amount of vitamin C; 20 mg in 100 g.

When to go picking

The root system of the raspberry can live for several years. The shoots are biennial, thorny and woody and bloom in their second year. This means that the berries grow on second-year shoots. The raspberry needs light and a nutrient-rich soil. Typical growing places of wild raspberries include felling sites, stony ground, powerline rights-of-way, deciduous forests, ditch banks, banks of brooks and rivers, seashores, forest edges and roadsides.

The raspberry can be foraged from spring till autumn. Its leaves can be collected from early spring to August. In July-August, the delicious, fragrant berries are ripe for picking.

Use

The raspberry has many uses. The fresh berries are delicious with viili (a traditional Finnish fermented dairy product) and ice cream or in berry salads. Raspberries can be made into sauces that go great with salads, meat dishes, ice cream, porridge and pies. Raspberries also give a wonderful taste to baked goods. Some cultivated raspberries may be a yellowish white colour. In nature, this loss of colour is quite rare.

Raspberry leaves

Raspberry leaves are one of the most popular wild ingredients for tea. No wonder; their taste is pleasantly sweet and they give off a raspberry scent. During the wars, dried raspberry leaves, like rosebay willowherb leaves, served as important tea substitutes.

Raspberry leaves can be harvested from first and second-year shoots. The leaves of first-year shoots can be harvested all the way until August. The leaves of second-year shoots must be collected in early summer before flowering. However, raspberry leaves must not be collected north of the Oulu-Kajaani region in areas where the plant is quite rare.

Pick the leaves by hand or with scissors. Leave out most of the stalk. The leaves can be dried either fresh or after fermentation. Fermentation is a particularly good method for raspberry leaves. It produces new natural flavourings and pigments. Pair raspberry leaves with rosebay willowherb and blackcurrant leaves, for example, for excellent herbal tea blends.

First-year shoots can be added to salads and cream cheese. You can also chop them up for a lovely green garnish. The young leaves can be used similarly to spinach. Mixing chopped up raspberry leaves with chopped spring onion makes an excellent sautéed side dish or garnish for a sandwich.

Raspberry leaves can also be used in skincare. Fresh or dried leaves make a fragrant skin toner. Add nearly a decilitre of raspberry leaves to a litre of boiling water and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Strain and let cool. Store the toner in the fridge. Please note that the toner does not keep long; three days at most.

Preservation

Raspberries are often preserved by freezing them. Other excellent ways of preserving raspberries include jam, juice and nectars. Even a little bit of raspberries mixed with other berries gives a lovely aroma to any preserve. Redcurrant and raspberry juice is a particularly nice combination.