Raspberry History
The red raspberry (Rubus idaeus)
is indigenous to Asia Minor and North America. Fruits were gathered
from the wild by the people of Troy in the foothills of Mt. Ida around
the time of Christ. Records of domestication were found in 4th century
writings of Palladius, a Roman agriculturist, and seeds have been discovered
at Roman forts in Britain. Therefore, the Romans are thought to have
spread cultivation throughout Europe.
In Medieval Europe, wild berries were considered both medicinal and
utilitarian. Their juices were used in paintings and illuminated manuscripts.
During this period only the rich partook of their tasty bounty. King
Edward I (1272 - 1307) is recognized as the first person to call for
the cultivation of berries. By the seventeenth century, British
gardens were rich with berries and berry bushes. By the eighteenth century
berry cultivation practices had spread throughout Europe.
When settlers from Europe
came to America they found Native Americans already utilizing and eating
berries. Due to the nomadic nature of this culture, berries were dried
for preservation and ease of transportation. Settlers also brought cultivated
raspberries that were native to Europe with them to the new colonies.
The first commercial nursery plants were sold by William Price in 1771.
In 1761 George Washington
moved to his estate, Mount Vernon, where he began to cultivate berries
in his extensive gardens. By 1867 over 40 different varieties were known.
After the Civil War major production areas emerged in the regions of
New York, Michigan, Oregon, Washington, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois,
and Indiana. By 1880 approximately 2,000 acres were in cultivation. By
1919 production had risen to 54,000 acres. By 1948 growth had slowed
to 60,000 acres.
Today, the leading producing regions for red raspberries are Washington,
Oregon, and California. However, Washington accounts for nearly 60% of
the U.S. production of red raspberries at nearly 70,000,000 pounds
per year.
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