Raspberry Time

It is definitely raspberry time in Ohio. Many years ago, I started out with two black raspberry bushes that I dig up from my gr. grandmother's abandoned farm, brought them home, and stuck them in the ground without much preparation or thought. They did pretty well.
Years later, I transplanted them, twice, and now, over twenty years later, they are still producing and multiplying. They will produce new small plants every year, either from seeds, scattered by the birds or the wind, or from the shoots that reach the ground and form a new plant.
You have to keep an eye on them, because every day more ripen, and the birds like them too.
While a lot of people have various species of insects that tend to find raspberry bushes, so far, I haven't had any problems. It is a good idea though to wash them carefully and check for any little critters.
Black raspberries, (rubus occidentalis), are native to the eastern part of the U.S. There is another species that is native to states in the west. Obviously these tasty little fruits were a real treat to pioneer families.
They are easy to freeze, but so far, every one I have picked has gone into muffins, cake, and on cereal.