Berry Bonanza

Mark Stokes stands in the middle of his family’s 230-acre Stokes Berry Farm in Wilmington, under a gorgeous bright blue sky with fluffy clouds. A gentle breeze ruffles rows of black raspberry plants growing under a warm sun. The idyllic scene looks almost like a staged poster for Ohio berry production — a young, fit-looking grower surveying a crop that many call “the king of berries” because of their outstanding health benefits.

Things may look peaceful during the day, but Stokes says some nights aren’t quite as calm. When he drives his pickup truck to the fields after dark and illuminates the rows, he sees “eyes shining back.”

“Raccoons stand up on their hind legs and just pick berries right off the plant,” says Stokes. “They think we grow berries for them. Raccoons just love raspberries.”

Well, what’s not to love? Red raspberry mousse is decadent, black raspberry pie to die for and cheesecake with a drizzle of raspberry sauce is downright sinful. And berries taste awfully good right off the plant. Americans consider raspberries their third favorite berry, after strawberries and blueberries.

But there is some disagreement among raspberry lovers.

“I was surprised at the strong preference some people have for either black or red raspberries. I like both,” says Gary Gao, extension horticulturist and associate professor with Ohio State University South Centers in Piketon. “Ohio is actually well-known for [growing] black raspberries, which have more seeds and very mean thorns.”

Yellow (golden) raspberries, which have more red- than black-like attributes, and purple raspberries (a hybrid of red and black) are also grown in Ohio, but on a smaller scale.

Fresh raspberry consumption is up almost 300 percent in the U.S., according to Gao, who is working to improve Ohio’s production. 

With some 42 acres of black raspberries, Stokes Berry Farm is the “largest, privately owned black raspberry grower east of the Mississippi,” claims Dale Stokes, Mark’s father, who planted his first black raspberries in 1962. He added red raspberries in 1975. Currently the farm grows six acres of red, purple and yellow raspberries.

“We have sold raspberries every year since the beginning,” says Dale, who owns the farm with his wife, Jane, son and daughter-in-law, Stephanie.

The farm has a pick-your-own operation when berries are in season and also sells pre-picked berries. A huge harvester is used to pick black raspberries that will be frozen, shipped to Illinois to be freeze-dried and made into raspberry powder. Since 1992, a portion of that powder has been used by the Arthur James Cancer Hospital at Ohio State University.

Researchers study black raspberries’ connection in helping prevent esophageal and colon cancers. A number of additional studies have shown raspberries to have excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. 

OSU researcher Thomas Knobloch says freeze-dried black raspberries have been shown to inhibit oral cancer formation in animals and humans. Unripe, green black raspberries are also effective.

In addition, Stokes Berry Farm collaborates with the University of Maryland in breeding programs to improve plant and fruit quality. About 14,500 baby raspberry plants make up the farm’s greenhouse nursery.

Raspberry seasons don’t last long in Ohio. Fresh summer raspberries are mostly gone now. But fall crops begin to ripen about mid-July and are usually available until a frost. Always check online or call a farm for its current berry availability. If you pick your own, choose only ripe berries. Raspberries don’t ripen off the plant. The fruit should fall into your hand with just the gentlest of persuasion. If you have to pull, the berry isn’t ripe.

Wash berries just before you use them. Three days in the fridge is about tops. A quick way to freeze berries is to place them individually on a cookie sheet in the freezer. When frozen, transfer berries to a freezer bag.

Jane Stokes says why you use berries determines how they should be frozen. She suggests packing gently rinsed black raspberries for baking (pies and cobblers) into containers using 1/4 cup sugar per pint of fruit. Freeze dessert black raspberries that will not be cooked in containers topped off with a syrup made from 1 cup sugar and 2 1/2 to 3 cups water.

For dessert purposes, sprinkle one pint of red raspberries to be frozen with 1/4 cup sugar. Stokes also suggests not sweetening either red or black raspberries that will be frozen to make jams or jellies.

Products featuring Ohio raspberries in jams, jellies and relishes are available at farmers markets and grocery stores long after the last berry is picked. In addition to selling fresh berries, Ann’s Raspberry Farm & Specialty Crops in Fredericktown makes several red raspberry products “from seed to jar.” Think Chocolate Raspberry Artisan Jam and Jalapeno Raspberry Artisan Jam.

Ann and Daniel Trudel, owners of the farm that is chemical-free, have won six prestigious, national Good Food Awards for their creations, including a 2013 award for their Red Raspberry Artisan Jam. The Trudels began growing raspberries in 2004 and now use a “high tunnel” method of growing plants under a protective covering. Daniel Trudel says the method increases yield 10 times over field-grown raspberries.

The Trudels say their decision to become raspberry growers was primarily based on economic research. But Ann fondly recalls picking raspberries as a child in Michigan.

“That was the inspiration. Now we are passionate about raspberries,” she says.