Suburban Valkyrie

Black raspberries are not blackberries. Blackberries are not black raspberries.

That's the first thing I have found myself explaining to well-intentioned people who have directed me to blackberries when what I asked for was black raspberries. It turns out there is a fair amount of confusion over the two. Once you've tasted real, honest-to-goodness black raspberries, though, you will never be confused about them again.



Fortunately, if you live near enough to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, there is an easy way to educate yourself and your taste buds. Penn-Vermont Fruit Farm, in Bedminster Township, offers pick-your-own black raspberries. They are in season now, and they are gorgeous.
Penn-Vermont is nestled along what is still today a country road, Bedminster Road, even though it also happens to be Rt. 113, an important connector road through the heart of Bucks County and its farm country. A drive to Penn-Vermont displays some of Bucks County's most beautiful scenic farm land, and is a relaxing way to spend any morning or afternoon.



The farm itself comprises nearly 60 acres and has been preserved for agricultural use through Bucks County's Agricultural Land Preservation Program, which has preserved more than 12,000 acres across the county since its founding in 1988. Owned by Ken and Judy Bupp since 1982, the farm is an amazing community resource. Taking kids to see a real farm is an education in and of itself, especially for kids who may live in urban or suburban environment disconnected from the places where fresh food is actually grown.

Nearly every time we've visited, the family that keeps the farm running is out in the fields, actually keeping the farm running. Note the farm equipment to the right of the photo below:



On this particular visit, my daughter and I were there with one thing in mind: black raspberries. Penn-Vermont had alerted followers on the farm's Facebook page that the berries, sometimes called "black caps" by growers, were ready. And since the season is relatively short, we didn't want to waste any time.

We weren't disappointed. After we checked in at the stand near the entrance to the farm, we picked up a carrier with six dry pint berry baskets and the helpful young lady directed us to the patch. "Head for the farthest rows - most people stop at the first rows, so the back rows have more."




We did as she suggested and headed for the rows farthest from the check-in stand. Within minutes, we were pulling gorgeously plump, shiny black raspberries off the canes and into our little baskets.

When perfectly ripe, black raspberries pull so easily off the core on the cane that they practically fall into your hand. Like most berries, they should be treated gently so as not to smush them.

When they do get smushed, the juice that leaks out leaves a gorgeous dark berry stain - just don't rub your hands on your clothes, especially not white clothes.

Though black raspberries can be grown across North America, most of the berries grown in the United States seem to come from Oregon - the Willamette Valley, specifically. That may be one explanation for why they can be so hard to find in other parts of the country.

The relative rarity can mean that black raspberries are a pricy choice in markets across the country. At the Penn-Vermont pick-your-own fields, however, cost was just $5 per dry pint.

Within about 30 minutes, we had filled two pint baskets to the brim with perfectly ripe, perfectly lovely black raspberries.




We headed for the stand to pay.





These berries are fated for two destinations: 1. a tiny batch of black raspberry preserves, and 2. our stomachs. They are so sweet and tart and tangy, I predict that we will eat most of them right away. Which is a good thing, because like most tender raspberries, they can go bad very quickly. Eating them right away, then, is really just doing them a kindness.

If you go:

What: Penn-Vermont Fruit Farm
Where: 831 Rolling Hills Rd., Bedminster, Bucks County, PA
Phone: 215-795-0230
Online: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Penn-Vermont-Fruit-Farm/107360655976304
Hours: Check the Facebook page or call before you go