Raspberries - Raspberries - and some rhubarb

Driving along on a sunny day recently we crested a hill - and look what lay out before us!!!

One of the most amazing raspberry fields we'd ever seen . . .

Rows and rows and rows of raspberries . . .

Glorious rows . . .

Rows running up and down the small hills . . .

A raspberry dragon?

Whatcom County is the top producer of raspberries in Washington.  In 2004 Whatcom County growers produced 46 million pounds of raspberries, 85% of the state's crop. Since the state is the top  producer of raspberries in the country, with over 87.8% of the nation's raspberries in 2002, this means that Whatcom County grows almost 75% of the nation's raspberries.

We are fortunate that the farmers sell the raspberries at fruit stands through  the county - at a very reasonable price - and we always buy several flats to freeze.  They also grow crops of blueberries and strawberries, and sell those at roadside stands too.  This is a wonderful place to live - and we get fresh cherries, peaches, pears and apples at roadside stands, brought over from east of the mountains where the orchards are.

And right alongside the road - we came upon this massive filed of rhubarb . . . who knew that it was a local crop?

I'd never thought about commerial rhubarb fields - this one went on for about  mile . . .

Some of the plants were already going to seed - I wonder if they are going to pick this rhubarb?

Kind of makes you hungry for rhubarb-raspberry pie - or raspberry-rhubarb jam doesn't it?

Run over to Dippity Road to see much more beauty!!