Do you have raspberry bushes on your property? Do you know what you need to do to produce great bushes each year? I didn't till a week ago, now that I do, I feel I need to share with the whole world! A raspberry "cane" (basically a stick growing out of the ground), produces fruit the second year of it's life. Meaning one raspberry bush, or whatever you want to call it, will grow two canes...the first year cane #1 will produce fruit and it will grow a second cane that will not. The following year, cane #1 dies and cane #2 will produce fruit and so on and so on. All you have to do, each year around this time, is break off the "dead" cane. You will be able to spot these as they will not have any buds on them and they should break off fairly easy. If you live in a place that gets cold winters, I suggest clipping off the tops of the canes that will produce fruit (about 5 to 6 inches), as the tips are probably burned by frost.
That's it really simple. Now what to make with your raspberries when they come in??
- Raspberry Muffins
- Raspberry Jelly
- Raspberry Butter
- Raspberry Pancakes
- Throw them in your salads
- Raspberry Cheeses Cake
