It all started in Grandma Ida's raspberry patch. She had the best raspberry patch in town. It was my very first memory of raspberries. As a very young child, I would follow my older brother and sister into the raspberry patch, diving in and picking the biggest, juiciest, deep red berries that I could find. In my attempt to eat as many berries as I could, red stain marked my small hands and face. I plowed my way among the jungle of green leaves and red berries oblivious to anything around me. It was easy to get lost among the tall plants that seemed to tower several feet above my head. I must have stayed until momma came looking for her little lost girl. My first experience of home grown raspberries has always stuck with me with much pleasantness.
I can remember having a garden from the earliest of memories. I often dreamed of marrying a fruit farmer. And I did! The first thing we planted was a raspberry patch. We dug up shoots from the father-in-law's Canby raspberry plants, and soon our patch was not only thriving, but growing and multiplying like rabbits! With each new spring, a new crop of shoots were dug up and transplanted to another location to prevent overgrowth in the row. Our patch was located in between a cement wall on the east side of the garden and the tractor shed on the west. When we irrigated, the water settled happily in the ever expanding raspberry patch. With the right amount of morning sun and afternoon shade, the raspberry patch soon showed herself off as the best raspberry patch in the neighborhood. I'd pick the raspberries first thing in the morning... the biggest, plumpest, juiciest, dark red berries I could find. Just like in grandma Ida's patch!
There's so many things you can do with raspberries... eat them fresh, eat them in cereal, in yogurt, preserve them, make desserts and salads. But one of my very favorite thing's to make with fresh raspberries is a milk shake. So razzle and dazzle your taste buds with this ridiculously delicious raspberry milkshake!
Fresh Raspberry Milk Shake
2 cups vanilla ice cream
1 cup fresh (or frozen) raspberries
put in a blender and mix until smooth. Delicious!
Servings: two -12 oz. servings, Calories: 325 per serving
