Have you ever had one of those decadent chocolate desserts in the middle of winter and wondered where the fresh raspberries on top came from? Well they probably came from the freezer. Amazed? - Don't be. If you store them properly you can have raspberries in the winter that are so good you'd swear they're fresh.

Here's how:
1. Pick raspberries early in the morning before it gets too hot.
2. Use several small dishes rather than a big bucket to pick into so that the fragile berries won`t be squashed as they pile up.
3. After the berries are picked, carefully pour them onto baking sheets or trays in a single layer. Pick the raspberries over for little bits of stems, leaves or bugs.
4. Set the trays level in the freezer for several hours until the berries are solidly frozen.
5. Using a spatula, remove the frozen berries from the trays and put them into buckets or containers with tight fitting lids.
6. Place them back in the freezer and get ready to enjoy almost fresh raspberries all year long.
7. ** HINT** I prefer not to wash my berries with water because they are so delicate and tend to perish quickly once they are wet. I'm able to do this because I grow my own raspberries without the use of sprays and pesticides. If this is not an option for you fill a sink with water and dip the berries into the water, rather than running water over the berries. Lay them out on an absorbent cloth and let them dry before freezing.