Farmers Market Find: Black Raspberries

What are they?

Think of them as the dark, wild cousins of the standard raspberry. Red on the vine, they evolve to a deep purple-black when ripe. Not to be confused with the more oval mulberries, they have the same round shape as red raspberries. And they are small, which distinguishes them from blackberries. The flavor: a little sweet, a little tart, a little dark and more concentrated than mul-, black- or blueberries. In a sauce, their juice is a purply fuchsia.

Spotted at

An unnamed Missouri Valley, Iowa, family farm stand at the Benson Farmers Market on Saturday.

How to use them

As you would other berries: Baked into pies or crisps; cooked down with sugar into sauces, syrups or jams; folded into muffin or cake batters; blended into smoothies or yogurt; or eaten out of hand.

Recipe idea

Black raspberry pancakes

Toss just-rinsed berries with sugar to taste and set aside while you make batter. (For four good-sized cakes, use 1 cup flour, ½ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla and enough milk to hold it together). Ladle four puddles of batter on a griddle, sprinkle some sugared berries on each, and drizzle on more batter to cover the berries. Flip when the undersides start to brown. Remove when puffed and serve with any remaining berry-sugar mixture and juices. — Nichole Aksamit

Don’t keep that find a secret: To recommend something for this occasional feature on unusual or flavorful finds at seasonal markets, e-mail details (what, where and when you found it, how it tastes and how you use it) to nichole.aksamit@owh.com. Please include your name, city and phone number and put “Farmers Market Find” in the subject line.