Happy National Raspberry Day — Donna Hopkins

Because I just discovered that today is National Raspberry Day!

I love raspberries. This may not sound like a big deal, but it is. In my childhood, we did not eat raspberries; I’m not even sure I knew about the existence of raspberries. We only ever had strawberries, and even then only in their natural season of late spring. My mother chopped up the strawberries and covered them in sugar so that they macerated, making a sweet syrup. She loved the berries and tried to freeze them in their syrup, but they were never as good as the fresh version.

We did not grow up eating very many healthful foods and were not introduced to many fresh fruits and vegetables. This is no reflection on my mother, who was a very good home cook, but more about the place and time of my youth. My parents owned and operated a restaurant and many of the foods were fried, and so, I did not develop a taste for fresh fruits or vegetables. As an adult, I’ve tried to course correct, but there are many foods that I eat that I know are healthy and good for my body, but I still don’t love them (at least not in the way that I love french fries!). But those sweet little raspberries made their way onto my list of favorite foods, and not just the the “healthy” list. They are on the “foods I love” list, all by themselves, with no added sugar or fancy treatment. And that is worth celebrating!