The Raspberry Field

Beside the River Spey in Northeastern Scotland there are lots and lots of wild raspberry bushes, growing all along the bank of the river. I went for a walk along the river at Aberlour today and I wasn't really prepared for the berry harvest. I got about 30 berries in the pocket of my Barbour jacket, and managed not to squash them! 

Fruit really is the best straight off the plant. When I was young, in the industrial north east, between the textile mill and coal mine we had a few fruit trees in the garden, pears and apples and a couple of strawberry plants too. The fruit you buy in the supermarket is nothing like the stuff which comes off the plant, the raspberries today were so sweet and intense, you couldn't buy that flavour.

Foraging is excellent fun, there are fewer things more rewarding than heading to the great outdoors and finding delicious things to eat. Tomorrow I'm planning to head back out to the river, pick some raspberries and use them as a topping for a cheesecake using my home made soft cheese, delicious. 

(I made some more cheese using cows milk, it's draining ready to be used tomorrow)