Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Wild Raspberry along with all the Wild Raspberry containing recipes presented on this site, with 1 recipes in total.

This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.

These recipes, all contain Wild Raspberry as a major wild food ingredient.

Wild Raspberries, Rubus idaeus (also known as hindberry or raspbis) is a wild relative of brambles (blackberries) in the Rosaceae (rose) family. They tend to grow wild on the verges of wood or scrubland and often represent escapes from domestic garden, though truly wild raspberries are native to Britain. They have lobed leaves that are very similar to blackberries in shape (though raspberry leaves are larger and paler) and the stems bear parallel rows of very small sharp spines. Unlike blackberries whose stems ramble parallel to the ground wild raspberry stems tend to be more upright and erect, though the plant does propagate via runners, just like blackberries.

The fruit are red and distinctive, and are actually a cluster of simple fruit. Wild raspberry fruit are smaller and slightly more sour than their domestic equivalents. As well as the fruit, the leaves of raspberries can also be collected and dried to make a tea.

Rumex idaeus is a perennial plant that bears biennial stems ("canes") from a perennial root system. In its first year, a new, unbranched stem ("primocane") grows vigorously to its full height of 1.5–2.5m. The plant large pinnately compound leaves with five or seven leaflets, but usually no flowers. In its second year (as a "floricane"), a stem does not grow taller, but produces several side shoots, which bear smaller leaves with three or five leaflets. The flowers are produced in late spring on short racemes on the tips of these side shoots, each flower about 1 cm (0.4 inches) diameter with five white petals. The fruit is red, edible, and sweet but tart-flavoured, produced in summer or early autumn; in botanical terminology, it is not a berry at all, but an aggregate fruit of numerous drupelets around a central core. In raspberries the drupelets separate from the core when picked, leaving a hollow fruit.

As a wild plant, R. idaeus typically grows in forests, forming open stands under a tree canopy, and denser stands in clearings. It is native to Europe and northern Asia and commonly cultivated in other temperate regions. In Britain it was a commonly cultivated garden plant in the Victorian era and stands that have reverted to the wild state are often associated with railway lines. The fruit is red, edible, and sweet but tart-flavoured, produced in summer or early autumn. Though R. idaeus is grown primarily for its fruits, but occasionally for its leaves, roots, or other edible parts.

Traditionally wild raspberries have been collected to make liqueurs and to flavour vinegars and brandies, but in terms of their cooking properties wild raspberries can be substituted in any recipe where you would use domestic raspberries or blackberries (ie pies, preserves, puddings and desserts). The fruit is also delicious eaten as you forage.

The young shoots, if peeled can be eaten raw or they can be steamed like asparagus. They should be harvested as they emerge through the ground in spring (at this point they are still tender). The leaves, either fresh or dried, can be made into a tea.

The roots, which should be neither too young nor too old, can also be cooked, but they require considerable boiling to become soft.

References:

[1]. David Evans Notes from field observations, tastings and cookery experiments.
[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants