Rubus idaeus 'Anne'

One of my favorite small fruiting plants to grow is the golden raspberry, 'Anne.' Not normally grown commercially due to a tendency of the fruit to soften quickly, it is well suited to home cultivation since the fruits are used immediately. Sometimes the fruits are used SUPER-immediately. That plastic container in the picture above was full about 45 seconds before I snapped the picture. The kid with the truck on his shirt was full about 45 seconds after I took the picture. Oh well, I may get some myself off of the next flush.

In the southern Appalachians, with very cold winters and sometimes hot summers, there can be some variability to this cultivar. Anne can fruit off of new canes reasonably well, but is late to do so if we have a long winter. If we have a hot summer then it really takes a fair amount of watering to keep fruiting strong. With enough Plant-Tone fertilizer under their belt, these heavy feeders will produce an abundant late August or early September haul.

What I love most about this variety is that it is a perfect fruit additive for golden Belgian ales. One of the best beers I ever brewed was a farmhouse wheat ale that I racked onto a few pounds of these golden beauties that I had collected and shoved in the freezer over the course of the growing season. The wild yeast I used gave a nice tartness that complimented the rich flavor of the Anne raspberry. When I cracked open a bottle the next spring after a few months of aging, I was reminded of just how sweet the coming summer would be.