In June Hungarian raspberries burst into season and they are busy swelling to their full splendour. Growing raspberries is a great way to enjoy your own tasty fruits year after year and to make your own jellies and jams. Our raspberry bushes are now groaning under the weight of thousands of fruits, we have already picked nearly 10 kilograms and the season is still not over.

Wild raspberries have been gathered for consumption by humans for thousands of years. Hybridization has enabled their cultivation, and the raspberry cultivars have spread and are widely grown in all temperate regions of the world. Due to their sweet juicy taste and antioxidant power, raspberries are one of the world’s most consumed berries. Not only do they taste great but they’re good for you as well. They are an excellent source of vitamin C, A, B1 and B2; they are a low-glycemic index food, with total sugar content of only 4% and no starch.

Raspberries have a short shelf life, you can store them in the fridge only for 2-3 days, but as an alternative you can also freeze them. The secret to successful freezing is to use unwashed and completely dry berries that should be placed in a single layer on a cookie sheet in the freezer. Once the berries are frozen, transfer them to plastic bags or freezer containers.

Raspberries can be used up not only in desserts and cakes, but amazing jams and syrups can be made from them, too. In the following recipe a cocoa sponge cake is spread with a raspberry-yogurt-whipped cream filling and decorated with melted chocolate.