What is a Purple Raspberry?

You see it on our table: purple raspberry jam, fresh purple raspberries. To the untrained eye, they just look like really dark red raspberries, so what's so special about them?

Purple raspberries are actually a natural cross between a red raspberry and a black raspberry. Not to be confused with a tayberry (cross between a raspberry and a blackberry), purple raspberries combine the flavor and juiciness of a red raspberry with the antioxidant benefits of a black raspberry.

Those familiar with black raspberries know that while their health benefits are numerous, they are drier and fairly seedy compared to your standard red raspberry, which can be off-putting for the average berry consumer. Red raspberries are juicy, sweet, and tangy, but have less antioxidant benefits due to their lighter color. 

Purple raspberries combine the best of both worlds. They are juicy, tangy, rich, but with more antioxidant compounds due to their darker color. They make a delicious jam that tastes similar to a red raspberry jam, but with a deeper, more complex flavor, courtesy of the unique black raspberry flavor compounds present. 

It's a great product for those who want to try something new while still benefitting from the familiar of a base raspberry flavor. The rich, indigo-violet color looks stunning between cake layers, on a slice of toast, or spooned into a baked raspberry jam tart.

Purple raspberries are in season in July, and it often only lasts a couple of weeks, so if you want to try the fresh berries for yourself, we recommend buying them when you see them.