Local BC Raspberries Available in the Fall

You may think that raspberries are only a Summer fruit but there is a Fall variety that blooms in the Fraser Valley called Heritage. It's a standard fall fruiting variety. The canes are very vigorous, hardy and sturdy. The plant produces many suckers which spread out far and wide. The fruit is medium-large, attractive and has a lovely flavour. It's firm and has a great shelf life. This variety is recommended for mild coastal areas to extend the fresh fruit market season from September to first frost.

If you are craving these yummy raspberries, you can purchase them at Krause Berry Farms as well as pick them fresh at Maan Farms as well. For larger deliveries you can contact Berry Haven Farms as well.

We wanted to share this recipe below with you so you can enjoy our local BC Fall bounty!

Double BC Raspberry Mousse in Chocolate Stripe Tulip cups - serves 12
Chocolate Stripe Tulip cups - 12-14 cups
2/3 cup	sugar
½ cup	all-purpose flour
1-1 ½ tsp.	grated orange zest
1	whole egg
2	egg whites
½ tsp.	vanilla extract
4 Tbsp	unsalted butter, melted
1 Tbsp.	melted chocolate
In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, orange zest, whole egg, egg whites and vanilla. Beast with a wooden spoon until well mixed. Stir in the butter and 1 tablespoon of water; the batter will be thin. Set aside ¼ cup of the batter and mix it with 1 tbsp of melted chocolate. This mixture will be used for the stripes. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Butter a large cookie sheet. Drop 4 separate tablespoons of the batter onto the sheet. Using the back of a spoon spread into 4-inch circles, spaced about 1 inch apart. Using a turkey baster, add chocolate stripes lengthwise and crosswise over the 4-inch circles. Bake in the bottom third of the oven until the cookies have a golden-brown border about 1 inch wide, 6-8 minutes. Meanwhile, cut 4 pieces of aluminium foil, each 4 inches square and set 4 narrow glasses or jars bottom-side up on the work surface. Remove the cookies from the oven. Working quickly, scrape a cookie from the sheet with a wide spatula and invert it over the jar. Cover with a square of foil to protect your hands and mould the soft hot cookie into a tulip shape. Repeat with the remaining cookies. As soon as they are set, remove the shaped tulip cups from their moulds and set aside. Repeat steps 2 through 4 until all the batter is used.

Raspberry Growers Attend International Raspberry Organization Conference (IRO) in Abbotsford

In June, Raspberry growers from all over the world gathered in Abbotsford, BC - the raspberry capital of Canada to discuss the state of the raspberry industry and how we can make cooperative steps to build the industry worldwide. Day 1 of the conference featured presentations by all member countries that reported their recent and anticipated production volumes, predominate varieties being grown, and recent production and market trends as well as challenges facing each nation.

The WRRC has posted the presentations here.

A common goal for all raspberry growers is to improve our ability to build a market for raspberries. There are numerous examples of how other fruits have build a strong taste, a nutrition story and told that story well in order to increase production.  We have a good product and have made some great investments in documenting the health benefits.

The International Raspberry Organization Conference (IRO) is held every two years. The BC Conference was the 8th time the growers came together. The next conference is schedule for 2014 in China.