GO BEYOND FOUR SEASONS

EARLY

Raspberries
Grown by Norm in Red Hook, New York

Norm’s Raspberries are some of the closest we’ve had to wild — pure, bright, and complex. The raspberry bushes are a few years old now. Left to adapt naturally in the open field, the fruit is smaller but far more concentrated, carrying the whole character of its place. Without sprays or intervention, blemishes can form and harden on the skin — marks that make them commercially unsellable, but have no impact on flavor.

A cool, wet spring built strong root systems and set a generous fruit load. At the same time, long stretches of dry, sunny weather in July supported steady ripening and higher natural sugar development. The result: dense, juicy berries with balanced acidity and layered, lasting sweetness.

Norm is a second‑generation farmer in Red Hook, running a small pick‑your‑own farm focused on blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Unlike most commercial soft berry production — often grown in pots under plastic tunnels to maximize yield — Norm grows directly in the soil, never using herbicides, pesticides, or fungicides, not even organic ones. As he puts it, “I have families and kids in my orchards picking fruit. I would never spray anything, organic or not, it just wouldn’t be right.”

In the coming week, we’re hoping to have his Golden Raspberries available.

LATE

Strawberries
Grown by John, Mike & Theresa in Pescadero, California

At this point in the season, production slows, but flavor reaches new heights for John, Mile & Theresa’s Strawberries. In Pescadero’s unique coastal microclimate — tucked between the Pacific Ocean and the Bay Area hills — cool nights and warm days give the plants time to rest and synthesize sugars. With fewer berries on each plant, those that remain grow sweeter, juicier, and more concentrated. Make the most of them in their final days.

The moderate climate allows for a slower-growing berry with consistent ripeness, while sandy loam soils provide perfect drainage and help develop robust flavor. Large and tender, these strawberries strike an ideal middle ground between the delicate floral notes of early summer and the pronounced sugars brought out by the heat of the warmest months.

They are growing on an incredibly rich nutrient base in their clay loam, resulting from years of soil health restoration through cover cropping, organic compost, and a flock of chickens moving around the farm in mobile coops.