Raspberries are a composite fruit traditionally available in mid-summer, but with new harvesting innovations they can be enjoyed all year long. Raspberries are red in color, and boast a distinctive flavor which is both sweet and tart. Commercially available types of raspberries include summer-bearing plants, which produce fruit in summer, and ever-bearing plants, which produce fruit in the fall as well as summer.

Raspberry plants have many uses and benefits. The leaves, which are found in groups of three or five, have silver-white undersides and can be used fresh or dried in herbal teas. It is believed that raspberry leaves can be helpful for a sore throat, as well as various stomach ailments, and a tea made with raspberry leaves has been used throughout history to encourage speedy childbirth. Xylitol, an alternative sweetener made from sugar alcohol, is extracted from raspberries. Raspberries also contain polyphenol antioxidants which promote cardiovascular health. Finally, raspberries are excellent in jams, pies, as dessert toppings, or simply by themselves. Raspberries are the Fragrantly sweet with a subtly tart overtone and almost-melt-in-your-mouth texture, raspberries are wonderfully delicious and are usually in limited supply.