The great thing about traveling North for vacation is that we have an extended berry season! I was just picking the last of the red raspberries from our bushes in Pennsylvania on the day that we left for Maine. Up here, the berries are still in full swing, so we had a great berry picking session at a local organic farm. They had the biggest black raspberries I have ever seen - larger than my thumb! They also had HUGE purple raspberries, which are similar to red raspberries, but even larger and they are actually a muted purple color. Last year, the raspberries on this farm were affected by the Spotted Wing Drosophila and the farmer was afraid he would have to destroy his berry bushes. He told me that the purple raspberries are from 35 year old stock that is no longer available, so he was going to try and keep this variety going. Isn't that amazing? 35 years! And to think that just like that, they could be lost. If people only ever shop in mainstream grocery stores, they won't ever have the chance to see all of the amazing varieties of food in this world. Supporting small farms that grow heritage varieties might introduce you to something knew and delicious! The red berries in the photo below are actually the purple berries - the color in the photo doesn't do them justice.
What fruit is in season near you right now?