This time of year the ground is wet and the weather is cold. Most of the trees are bare and everything just seems to be in a muted shade of brown or green…hibernating through the winter preparing for the summer months ahead.

Although, if you find yourself driving through the country this time of year, you might just spot a beautiful field of purple. And if you squint your eyes and forget how cold your fingers are while taking a picture along the side of the road, you might even convince yourself that you’ve found a lavender field!

The rows upon rows of lovely purple vines are in fact black cap raspberries! Beautiful don’t you think?

I remember my Dad talking about picking black caps as a kid, and after doing a quick bit of research this evening I was impressed to find out that Oregon actually produces the most black caps in the United States. The berries are extremely dark in color but still pretty sweet. However, over time they’ve become second fiddle to the more traditional red raspberries that you find at the grocery.

What I find neat about black caps is that the juice is so dark in color, that it’s often used as a dye for meat. Have you ever seen a big cut of meet with purple stain or marking on it? The natural dye is made from black caps!

If you happen to be at a farmers market this summer and you see black caps, be sure to give them a try. You might just find your new favorite berry!