Florida European offers these delectable delights. They are shipped to Europe within 24 hours of harvest. Buy raspberries on a day-to-day basis and aim for same-day sales. If some fruit remains unsold, refrigerate the product to ensure a longer shelf life.

There are a number of different types of raspberries. Red and purple raspberries are two main types that are sold to the fresh market. The red type has many varieties: Willamette, Sweet Briar, Meeker, Amity and Heritage. Sweet briar, the proprietary variety, accounts for more than 50 percent of the nation’s raspberry supply.

Three groups of cultivated raspberries are grown in North America: red raspberries, a native European berry; black raspberries or blackcaps, a North American native fruit; and purple canes, a range of hybrids between the two groups.

Origin:

• California
• Chile
• Mexico

Packaging:

• 12 punnets per tray; -1/2 dry pint, 4.4 oz (125 grams), 5.6 oz (160 grams)

Storage & Handling:

• Temperature: 32 to 34 F, 0 to 1.1 C
• Relative humidity: 90 to 95 percent
• Mist: no
• Typical shelf life: 2 to 3 days
  
  Highly sensitive to freezing injury. Product is precooled immediately after harvest to slow decay. It is transported in constant refrigeration because of high perishability. Additional protection against decay and ripening is obtained by charging the load with carbon dioxide while in transit.