Bear Lake's Berried Treasure


Bear Lake Red Raspberries

Living in Northern Utah, one may be familiar with the delicious, red raspberries that speckle the hillside on the West side of the exceptionally blue lake. History, farming and family are brought together all by a little red raspberry. Prehistorically, pioneers stumbled upon this beautiful valley in the mid 1800’s, a land untouched by tourism and shake shops. Young children and their families looking for new ground to call their own. The wonderful red raspberries became the ‘icing on the cake’ quite literally actually.
Purple, black and red raspberries are only a few genres of this fruit that grows in select seasons. The Purple raspberries are considered ‘hybrids’ of the red and black raspberries but favor growing in less cold climates similar to the black raspberries. Black raspberries are smaller and contain more seeds compared to the red raspberry. The larger red raspberries favor a colder climate making them ideal for the cooler summer evenings in the Bear Lake Valley.
A sub-family to the red raspberry is the Canby Raspberry. The Canby raspberry favors cool temperatures and warm summer days. According to How to Plant Canby Raspberries (2019), Canby raspberries are considered a ‘summer-bearing’ fruit and are rarely found with thorns. These raspberries, among the different types of this fruit, are rich in sugar and sweet to the taste. Theodore Hildt was the first mastermind behind planting and growing raspberries to be sold around the surrounding territories. Living only to age 76, Theodore started a delicious revolution that is carried on today.
In late July to mid August, these little morsels of deliciousness are harvested by hundreds. Many come from out of state to partake of a famous raspberry shake while year-round raspberry pickers anxiously await to harvest and produce a product for profit. The locals have coined this annual time period ‘Raspberry Days.’ A long-awaited festival by many, brings people together from near and far to enjoy the wonderful history of raspberries, family, and fun.
As the sun begins to set and a long day of raspberry eating, picking and harvesting comes to an end. Smiles covered with red raspberry leftovers and stories of old being told around a kindling fire are what make the daily work worth it. The raspberry legacy is cultivated and grown, yet another day in history.

Works Cited: 

Anderson, Caryn. (2018) "How to Plant Canby Raspberries." Home Guides | SF Gate, http://homeguides.sfgate.com/plant-canby-raspberries-25482.html. Accessed 07 July 2019.

Sagers, Larry A. (2011) “Growing Raspberries.” KSL News, https://www.ksl.com/article/14349410/growing-raspberries

Rich County Court House, (2019) “A Brief History of Rich County.” Rich County, Utah, https://www.richcountyut.org/history/

Picture from: https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865659216/Garden-Citys-Raspberry-Days-runs-Thursday-through-Saturday.html

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10377723

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