How and when to pick raspberries, quick ways and whether you need to wash the berries
Raspberries are considered a capricious shrub that requires increased attention from planting to harvesting. The beneficial properties and taste of berries depend on how correctly they were picked. How to properly harvest ripe raspberries so that they have a pleasant taste and maximum supply of vitamins?
How to determine if the berries are ripe
The ripening period of raspberries falls in the second half of July, and it lasts until the very frost. Depending on the varietal characteristics and climate, these dates may shift. You can determine the ripeness of berries by their color, characteristic of the cultivated variety. Ripe raspberries are easily separated from the stalk, have a dense and elastic structure, appetizing appearance.
How to pick raspberries from the bush correctly
Raspberry fruits are very tender and sensitive to pressure. If you press them lightly, then juice is immediately released. Harvesting is carried out very carefully, trying not to damage the berry. For further transportation, it is preferable to pluck them together with the fruit, which is subsequently removed before processing or consumption.
In the case when it is planned to process the crop near the place of collection, raspberries are harvested without stalks. Only those berries are selected that have no signs of rotting or spoilage. Otherwise, it will quickly transfer to healthy fruits, and a significant part of the crop will be spoiled.
Can wet raspberries be picked? Definitely not, because it will deteriorate in a matter of hours. Such a crop immediately begins to drain with juice and turns into compote right in front of the gardener. For picking berries, choose dry weather.
A quick way to pick berries
The most time and effort is spent picking berries. How to quickly collect raspberries without damaging them? Professional farmers often use the machine method of harvesting, but it is not suitable for an ordinary summer resident. Firstly, the equipment costs a lot of money, and secondly, the bushes are injured, unripe fruits are torn off, and the yield indicators decrease. Therefore, most often raspberries are harvested by hand.
What is the best way to collect raspberries for a simple amateur gardener? To speed up the procedure, various tricks and devices are used to free both hands and use them in work. So, a jar or other small vessel is hung around the neck or carried along with comfortable handles.
When collecting fruits, try not to touch their surface. The thin skin breaks through at the slightest pressure, resulting in the release of juice.In order not to injure raspberries and extend their shelf life, it is recommended to use a special collection technology. With the left hand, lift the twig and hold it.
The right hand is placed palm up and placed under the fruit. The stalk is pinched with the thumb and forefinger, and the raspberries in the palm of your hand are carefully shifted into the prepared dish. Hold on the palm of your hand no more than 5 berries at a time, otherwise they will wrinkle.
When harvesting, they try to leave stalks about 6 mm long. Raspberries that have damage, signs of spoilage or do not have a stem are sent to a separate vessel. This sorting saves time in the future and helps to maintain the quality of the fruit.
What is the best harvest
What to collect ripe raspberries so that they do not crumple and do not let juice? For harvesting, a container is selected in which the berries will retain their marketable qualities for as long as possible. It is better if the vessel is shallow but wide.
This will make it possible to fold the fruits in a thin layer. Otherwise, they will choke under their own weight, and only compote will be delivered to their destination.
Summer residents construct special containers for collecting raspberries, the volume of which does not exceed 2 liters. They feature low sides and a flat, wide bottom. You can make such a vessel from scrap materials. At the same time, small ventilation gaps are left to prevent the occurrence of the greenhouse effect, as a result of which the berries deteriorate at a high speed.
Small wicker baskets that already have ventilation holes for airing the berries are good for picking raspberries. As soon as the basket is full, it is sent to a shady, cool place.
Do I need to wash the berries after picking
After harvesting raspberries, a natural question arises: is it necessary to wash the berries? Most gardeners are opposed to this procedure for the following reasons:
- fruits after washing turn into gruel;
- raspberries already have bactericidal properties, therefore they do not need washing;
- in the process of washing vitamins are washed out, and useful qualities are significantly reduced.
But you can refuse to wash the fruits only if they were collected in their own garden, located away from dusty roads and exhaust gases from cars. If the berries are purchased on the market, then the buyer cannot know for certain in what places and with what hands they were picked. In this case, it is better to wash them, but this should be done immediately before eating, since the wet fruit will immediately deteriorate.
Raspberries intended for cooking jam or other heat treatment should not be washed. Only those fruits that have been subjected to chemical spraying are subjected to this procedure. The high temperature effectively kills most known bacteria. Raspberries intended for freezing are not washed either. Otherwise, it will expire with juice and will be unsuitable for this procedure.
Where and how much fresh fruit is stored
Fresh raspberries have a very short shelf life. At an ambient temperature of about +20 ° C, it can only be stored for 8 hours. To increase this period, the fruits are transferred to plastic containers in no more than 2 layers. The vessel must be dry. After that, the container is covered with a napkin or not tight-fitting lid and sent to the refrigerator on the middle shelves.
In a dark and cool place, the raspberry crop retains its properties for up to 10 days, but experienced gardeners say that it is better to keep it for no more than a week. It is unacceptable to put the crop for long-term storage in a wet container. If frozen berries are harvested, they do not lose their beneficial properties for up to a year.The same period is set aside for grated with sugar and frozen fruits.
