Raspberries

My love for raspberries started when I moved to Hawaii. Even though raspberries are not grown on the islands and have to be shipped or flown here, I would buy containers of raspberries and eat them in salads, yogurt, on top of pancakes, and in smoothies. One of my favorite smoothies is loaded with raspberries.

One raspberry is actually many tiny fruits grown together. Each little bump on a raspberry is a tiny fruit called a drupelet, with its own seed inside. When every drupelet grows fully, the raspberry is round. When some drupelets do not grow fully, the raspberry comes out lopsided, with gaps.

Raspberries and blackberries both grow around a core called the receptacle. The receptacle is the tip of the stem where the flower was attached. When a raspberry is ripe, the raspberry separates from the receptacle, and the receptacle stays on the plant. That leaves the hole in the middle of a raspberry. When a blackberry is ripe, the blackberry breaks off below the receptacle, and the receptacle stays with the fruit. That is why a blackberry is solid.

Raspberries have more fiber than most fruits. Part of that fiber comes from all the tiny seeds and the skins of the drupelets. Raspberries also give the body vitamin C, manganese, and vitamin K.

The red color of raspberries comes from pigments called anthocyanins. A pigment is a compound that gives something its color. Anthocyanins are antioxidants. An antioxidant is a compound that protects cells from damage.

You are welcome to eat food that is not local.

Stacy 🌺

Information in this post comes from my learning and research.

https://youtube.com/shorts/Mod57h3J9DQ?feature=share

I share my experiences and my perspective. Eating and healing look different for everyone. If you are struggling with food or your relationship with your body, please find support. You don’t have to do this alone.