Farm to Table


The manpower needed to get the red raspberries from the fields to the dinner table has been cut in half in recent years. Growing raspberries is a task taken on by many people who live in the Rich County area. There are many steps in the farm to table process. Here is how it all works.

The optimal time to begin planting red raspberries is the beginning of May. Families and friends will come together to dig hundreds of holes to kick off the season. The manpower needed to plant the seeds or first year stalks is crucial so the plants will have the proper amount of time to grow to maturity. The soil must have proper drainage because raspberry plants do not like standing water. The proper pH level is between 5.8 and 6.2. Each row needs to be 8 feet apart from each other and two feet between stalks going down the row. This allows the the stalks to lay out like a bush and absorb as much sun as possible during the heat of the day.

In past times, harvesting the red raspberry could have possibly been a dreaded activity. Fortunately, for modern day farmers, raspberry picking has since grown into a rather enjoyable activity. Large powered machines were engineered specifically for raspberry picking. These machines have extended finger like projections to gently massage the raspberry stalks so that the raspberries will conveniently fall onto a conveyor belt. Two people will then sit on the back of the machine for sorting the berries. When sorting, the darkest red colored raspberries are of highest demand yielding a more delicious sugary taste, where the immature white and green raspberries are tossed aside. This technology allows for less manpower and quicker raspberry picking, a unique and efficient modernized way, allowing many raspberry farmers to increase production and successfully fill the numerous raspberry orders in need.



Finally, the most prized part of the entire raspberry growing and harvesting process, eating! After, the berries have been brought to the table it is time to properly care for them. Typically, these berries last around three days in the fridge or for longer storage, freezing them is common. When freezing the berries, it is routine to rinse and then lay the berries out on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Placing the cookie sheet into the freezer for a small amount of time, freezes the berries enough to prevent clumping and smashing when putting them into a ziploc bag or container for longer storage. Dehydrating or freeze drying the berries also preserves the deliciousness for a much longer season.

After a long, hot summer day, fresh bread and homemade raspberry jam is served to family and friends making the long harvest and manpower all worth it.

 Your Product Guy, "The Amazing Raspberry Harvester," 17 August 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOG85YtZhII

David Handley, "How to Plant Raspberries," The University of Maine, 6 March 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xju6QmusCJo

The Green Barn Berry Farm, http://thegreenbarnberryfarm.com/gallery/184101


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