Frozen Vs Fresh Raspberries
From the Western Ag Network, I’m Bob Larson with today’s Fruit Grower Report. Washington state is widely known for the red raspberries they grow for the frozen market, most of them in the northwest corner of the state.
Gavin Willis, Executive Director at the Washington Red Raspberry Commission, says the numbers are a bit staggering …
WILLIS … “That’s about 90% of frozen raspberries that are grown in the U.S. are coming from Whatcom County.”
Frozen, Willis says is a great way to enjoy raspberries year-round …
WILLIS … “It’s kind of why, I think, the one thing that differentiates the frozen from the fresh market is the fresh market, in the grocery stores, often is picked before peak ripeness in order to maintain that shelf life and shelf stability that they need to get it to the retailer, to the grocery store.”
And the way we pick the raspberries, Willis says is excellent …
WILLIS … “Our systems with the machine harvesters we use, it shakes the cane and the perfectly ripe fruit falls off. And anything that’s not ripe yet will stay on the plant. And so, in that case, since we’re going from perfectly ripe, right off the cane to frozen within just a handful of hours.”
And for red raspberries, Willis says that timing is key …
WILLIS … “Yeah, you’re looking at field to freezing in three to four hours and, typically, maybe a little longer than that when the fruits coming in real fast. And so, we’re able to basically get it when it’s got its best flavor, best color, best nutrition value coming straight off the plant.”
The raspberry numbers, Willis say, for the 2026 harvest, should be available by mid-October.
