As Kommersant learned, the Malina bonus program is experiencing serious financial difficulties due to the fact that Rosneft has not paid for a year and is generally dissatisfied with the partner it got along with gas stations under the BP brand. The operator of Malina is trying to collect the debt - almost 500 million rubles - through the court, but hopes to resolve the conflict peacefully and even expand work to the entire network of Rosneft gas stations in the country. However, Malina's problems may worsen - another major participant, VimpelCom, is preparing a new loyalty program of its own.

Loyalty Partners Vostok LLC (operator of the Malina loyalty program) demands almost 500 million rubles from Rosneft structures. debt that arose after the purchase by the state-owned company TNK-BP, a co-owner and one of the key partners of Malina. In February, Loyalty Partners filed claims in the Moscow Arbitration Court against gas station operators under the BP brand in Moscow and St. Petersburg - PKEK CJSC (for 419 million rubles) and RN Northern Capital LLC (for 73 million rubles). General Director of Loyalty Partners Vostok LLC Sergei Borodin refused to comment in detail on the claims. “We believe that the delay in payment is of a technical nature, the program is working. We are conducting negotiations, which we hope will be resolved peacefully in the near future,” said Mr. Borodin. Rosneft told Kommersant that “during the Malina program, TNK-BP’s investments were much greater than the contributions of other participants, despite the initially stated parity.” This, the company says, “raises certain questions about the commercial side of the transaction.”

Malina is one of the largest coalition loyalty programs in Russia. Operating since 2006. The system is built on rewarding customers with bonus points, which can be spent on paying for services and goods from more than 25 partners. The main ones are gas stations under the BP brand, Beeline, the restaurant chain Rosinter Restaurants, the pharmacy chain 36.6 and Raiffeisenbank. The program operator, Loyalty Partners Vostok LLC, receives money from partners to pay for bonus points. Revenue in 2012 was 714 million rubles, net profit was 4 million rubles.

100% of Loyalty Partners Vostok LLC belongs to the Cyprus CSI Loyalty Partners Ltd, in which TNK-BP International Ltd (a Rosneft structure), RIG Restaurants Ltd (parent company of Rosinter Restaurants OJSC), Klada each own 21.25% of shares Ventures Ltd (structure of the pharmacy chain "36.6") and M.I.P.R. Ltd (until 2013 it was associated with VimpelCom shareholders). Almost 15% of CSI Loyalty Partners is owned by CM4P Vostok Ltd, owned by the main owner of Rosinter, Rostislav Ordovsky-Tanaevsky Blanco, and the founder of Malina, Michael Llewelyn.

According to Kommersant's sources, Rosneft stopped paying Malina immediately after the acquisition of TNK-BP, that is, about a year ago. One of Kommersant’s interlocutors said that Rosneft attributed the problems to “technical reasons.” According to him, Loyalty Partners Vostok was in no hurry to sue, as it hoped to expand the partnership with Rosneft to its entire network of gas stations, proposing to transfer loyalty programs for customers of gas stations under the BP, TNK and Rosneft brands to a single platform. But in the end, non-payments began to threaten the financial condition of the entire Malina program.

Representatives of Malina's main partners and co-owners did not comment on the operator's problems yesterday. The head of "36.6" Vladimir Kintsurashvili said only that the company is satisfied with the program and plans to maintain participation. Deputy Chairman of the Board of Raiffeisenbank Andrei Stepanenko also said that the bank does not plan to stop cooperation with Malina, since “the portfolio of co-branded cards is small, but of high quality.” The top manager says that “all payments to partners are made in a timely manner.”

Kommersant's sources close to the co-owners of Malina differed in their assessments of the program's prospects in the event of Rosneft's exit. One of Kommersant’s interlocutors believes that Malina will collapse, another believes that it will reach an agreement with another gas station chain. The head of the Loyalty Factory company (developer of a platform for creating loyalty programs based on mobile technologies), Vasily Dyachenko, believes that the departure of a major partner will undoubtedly complicate the operator’s financial situation, but “is unlikely to be fatal.” The creation of an effective coalition program, the expert notes, is “a complex process involving a long process of tugging at the blanket” and the development of a common concept.

In addition to Malina, there are several other coalition loyalty programs in Russia, for example, Mnogo.ru (operator - Lavtech.com), Svyaznoy Club (S-Club CJSC) and Kukuruza (Evroset-Retail LLC) ). Loyalty program development consultant Vladislav Us says that so far there have been no loud scandals in programs in Russia, although there have been transfers of partners and even closures - for example, the Six Sevens association “peacefully dissolved.” According to the expert, BP gas stations may not be Malina’s only loss, as VimpelCom is preparing to launch its own new bonus program. VimpelCom refused to comment on the possibility of ending the partnership with Malina.

Denis Skorobogatko, Oleg Trutnev, Olga Shestopal, Kirill Melnikov, Anna Balashova, Evgeniy Khvostik

If we compare the amount of nutrients in fresh and frozen fruits, we see that the difference in vitamins is not so significant, and the concentration of most minerals even increases. However, the “healthiness” indicators of canned raspberries drop sharply, so there is no need to talk about the health-improving role of raspberry jam.

The amount of useful substances in raspberries is influenced by belonging to a particular variety and growing conditions, but a set of valuable biologically active substances is present to one degree or another in all varieties. Among the mineral compounds, raspberries contain relatively a lot of iron, zinc, copper, and an average amount of manganese (up to 210 mg per 100 grams of raw product). The seeds contain fatty oil (according to various sources, up to 14-22%) and about 0.7% phytosterol.

Raspberries are also known for their high content of vitamin C, the concentration of which can increase even more as the growing season temperature decreases. In the list of organic acids, a special place is occupied by salicylic acid, thanks to which raspberries have numerous medicinal properties that have helped people maintain health since ancient times.

Medicinal properties

One of the key qualities of raspberries is its antioxidant activity. The complex effect of a number of unfavorable factors (from electromagnetic and ultraviolet radiation to radioactive and toxic pollution) leads to an excess of free radicals in the body and oxidation of macromolecules, which upsets the balance of the natural antioxidant system and leads to the destruction of body cells. Foods with high antioxidant activity, such as raspberries, restore this balance.

The main natural antioxidants are flavonoids, phenolic compounds, anthocyanins, vitamins C and E, carotenoids, etc. are present in all raspberry varieties, but in different proportions. The highest antioxidant activity among the Eastern European varieties is “Hercules”, “Eurasia”, “Golden Autumn”, “Ruby Necklace”.

Vitamin C is the most important natural antioxidant, but that’s not the only reason it’s important. The name of the synthetic analogue, “ascorbic acid,” contains a direct indication of the connection between vitamin C deficiency and scurvy (“scorbutus” – Latin for “scurvy”). In addition, this substance is necessary for the normal functioning of connective and bone tissue. In relation to raspberries, this is important because one serving of berries contains approximately 25-35% of the daily intake of vitamin C.

P-active compounds included in the group of substances of phenolic origin, in addition to resisting free radicals, affect the elasticity and permeability of capillaries and promote the elimination of toxins. Manganese, another element in complex protection against the effects of free radicals, is also responsible for protein synthesis as part of enzymes. Magnesium plays an important role in the functioning of the heart muscle and, in general, in the functioning of the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Vitamin K is essential for normal blood clotting.

These and other beneficial substances create the prerequisites for raspberries to exhibit numerous medicinal properties: bactericidal, diaphoretic, analgesic. The antipyretic effect of eating raw raspberries is relatively weak, but thanks to salicylic acid, it may also be present.

Fresh berries effectively quench thirst and activate digestion. The fruits owe their smell to raspberry ketone, which increases the secretion of gastric juice, bile, saliva and generally stimulates the appetite. The fruits are often used as a sobering agent.

According to some data, the use of raspberry ellagitannins (esters of ellagic acid and sugars) at a dosage of 40 mg per day can prevent the development of cancer cells by slowing their growth or destroying them (at a high concentration of ellagitannins). Ellagic acid also has the property of lowering blood pressure.

Use in medicine

Raspberries were included in the State Pharmacopoeia (a collection of standards that determine the quality of medicinal substances) in 1952, but only a small part of the plant’s potential is directly used in scientific medicine. The syrup, created on the basis of raspberry fruits, is included in mixtures as a sweetener. And compounds resulting from the biosynthesis of salicylic acid are used in ointments and powders in the treatment of skin diseases.

At the same time, raspberries are extremely widely used in folk medicine. Moreover, every corner of the world has its own special traditions of its use.

Use in folk medicine

In ancient times, healers believed that condensed raspberry juice helps to calm bilious heat and get rid of biliary lichen, a paste of ground leaves applied to a skin rash helps with urticaria and rubella, and a decoction of the roots of the bush helps with leprosy. The same decoction, if drunk, was supposed to help with wet ulcers, lichen, and relieve itching and spots on the skin.

Modern folk medicine also uses not only raspberry fruits, but also leaves, flowers, young shoots and roots as raw materials for medicines. Indications for use are various diseases:

• Respiratory diseases(where raspberries act as a diaphoretic, antipyretic and expectorant). Traditional doctors prescribe raw fruits, tea made from raspberry leaves, and a drink made from brewed raspberry shoots. To prepare this medicine, the cuttings are dried, crushed (ground), and then brewed like tea for about 3 minutes, pouring 1 spoon of powder with 2 glasses of hot water.
• Diarrhea, diarrhea, dysentery. For these diseases, a decoction of raspberry branches (1 glass three times a day), an infusion of leaves and branches (as an astringent), and tea from dried berries are recommended.
• Skin diseases: inflammation, acne. For treatment, use a warm infusion of raspberry flowers or leaves (in a ratio of one to twenty). A tampon moistened with the prepared liquid is applied to the affected areas three times at intervals of several minutes. The course includes 20 procedures, with the first 10 cycles performed daily, and the remaining 10 every other day. In addition, the treatment uses an ointment made from the juice of the leaves and butter, as well as an infusion of the leaves in olive oil.
• Vascular and blood diseases. For inflammation of hemorrhoidal veins, a decoction of raspberry roots or flowers is used. For hemorrhages, use a decoction of the leaves. Also, raspberry leaves in decoctions and infusions are used by folk doctors as an anti-sclerotic agent that improves the condition of blood vessels.
• Reproductive disorders. As the main component, raspberries are included in preparations that help men with sexual impotence and women with infertility. East Slavic healers gave women a decoction of raspberry roots or flowers for excessive and unusual discharge from the genitals (leucorrhoea).

In folk medicine, there are certain traditions determined by the specifics of a particular region. Historically, Ukrainian healers used raspberry berries, leaves and flowers for rheumatic pain and fever, Czech healers treated gastrointestinal disorders with raspberries, and Belarusian healers treated colds.

In decoctions, branches and leaves are most often used, less often - flowers and roots of the raspberry bush. Due to its expectorant effect, the resulting remedy is recommended for use in the treatment of cough, bronchitis, laryngitis, asthma, and due to its astringent properties - for diarrhea, intestinal inflammation, and hemorrhoids.

So, for example, to prepare a decoction of raspberry branches, the washed stems are first poured with boiling water and then kept over low heat for about an hour until the water acquires a reddish tint. Use the decoction when cooled. The finished product is not stored for a long time. Even in the refrigerator it is kept for no more than a day.

There is another way to prepare decoctions, when the washed branches or leaves are first boiled (usually about 10 minutes), and then kept in cooling water for another 0.5-1 hour. A similar method is most often used to create a decoction of berries and flowers. In this case, raspberry fruits are taken in the proportion of 30 berries per glass of water, and flowers - 20 grams per glass (200 ml).

Before the advent of hair dyes, a decoction of raspberry leaves with potash was used to dye hair dark. Nowadays, in its pure form, this decoction is often used to rinse hair after washing to stimulate growth and strengthen it.

Infusions of raspberry fruits, leaves, flowers and stems are popular in home treatment.

• Infusion on berries. 200 grams of dried fruits are infused for half an hour in 0.5 liters of boiling water. It is recommended to drink 2 glasses within 1-2 hours for colds.
• Infusion of flowers. 20 grams of flowers are poured with a glass of boiling water (200 ml), left for half an hour and filtered. Take 1 tablespoon of liquid three times a day for colds and coughs. The same infusion is prescribed externally for erysipelas and acne.
• Infusion of leaves. 4 teaspoons of plant leaves are crushed and poured with 2 cups of boiling water. After straining, take ½ glass 4 times a day as an anti-inflammatory and astringent for gastritis and enteritis.
• Infusion of stems. Fresh raspberry stems, either peeled from leaves or directly with leaves, are washed and cut into pieces, after which they are lowered into a jar and filled with vodka in an approximate ratio of 1:5. This alcoholic infusion is prescribed by traditional healers to restore reproductive function.

In oriental medicine

Depending on one or another eastern tradition, doctors “prescribed” the fruits or plant parts of raspberries for different types of diseases:

• Traditional Chinese medicine recommended raspberries for eye diseases (redness, inflammation and even blindness), toothache, for removing uric acid and stimulating urination. The leaves of the plant were used as a hemostatic agent, and the fruits were recommended to improve digestion.
• In Korean folk recipes, raspberries, along with lemongrass, plantain and dodder seeds, and tribulus flowers, are mentioned as an ingredient in infertility potions. Korean doctors also suggested fighting male impotence with raspberry-based remedies. To do this, the fruits were first soaked in vodka, and then dried over low heat and crushed in a mortar. The resulting powder was taken with water in the morning in a volume approximately corresponding to the volume of a heaped tablespoon.
• In Tibetan medicine, the leaves and young shoots of the plant were used to treat acute and chronic infectious diseases, neurasthenia, and inflammation of peripheral nerves (neuritis). It was believed that raspberries “heal Wind, Heat, and at the same time Wind and Heat.” Raspberries (Kentakari) were used for lung diseases. It was assumed that by its effect on the body it should “bring the infectious heat to maturity.”
• In Transcaucasia, a tincture of flowers was used as an antidote for the bites of poisonous insects and snakes, and an aqueous extract of the leaves was used as a mixture that had a stimulating effect on the central nervous system.
• The peoples of the Trans-Baikal region used the fruits, leaves and stems of raspberries to treat nerve diseases.

In scientific research

Today, research on raspberry-based drugs is carried out either on rodents or in vitro - that is, in a test tube, “in glass,” outside a living organism. Scientists are experimenting primarily with two main groups of polyphenols contained in raspberries: ellagitannins (the main breakdown product of which is ellagic acid) and.

The ability of raspberry extracts and its individual purified components to prevent oxidative processes in the body’s cells was tested “in vitro” using various biochemical markers of oxidative stress. The experimental results confirmed the effectiveness of this approach and the reduction in the level of oxidative stress, which, without therapeutic measures, provokes inflammatory processes in the body and leads to a number of serious diseases.

In laboratory animals, the effect of raspberry extract on inflammation caused by oxidative stress was tested in several experiments. Thus, in collagen-induced arthritis in rats, raspberry extract (at a rate of 15 mg/kg) significantly slowed down the development of clinical symptoms of the disease, inhibited the intensity of bone tissue destruction, reduced swelling of soft tissues and reduced the rate of appearance of osteophytes (bone growths). In another experimental model, rodents were first induced to develop gastritis and then given ellagitannins. As a result, not only inflammation decreased, but also the body's antioxidant enzymes were activated.

Oxidation also has a destructive effect on the endothelium - a monolayer of cells lining the inner surface of the cavities of the heart, blood and lymph vessels. The endothelium does not just “polish” the vessels from the inside. It synthesizes many biologically active substances and exhibits high endocrine activity. Its damage leads to arterial hypertension (high blood pressure syndrome), atherosclerosis and the occurrence of many cardiovascular diseases.

Studies conducted “in vitro” on individual cells have shown that both the berry itself and raspberry extract have a positive effect on the functioning of the endothelium, preventing the risk of developing hypertension and atherosclerosis. In another animal experiment, rats were divided into 2 groups based on observation results: the first included healthy rodents with normal blood pressure, the second included animals with high blood pressure syndrome. For 5 weeks, rats from both groups were given 100 and 200 mg of raspberry extract, respectively, resulting in a pronounced antihypertensive effect.

Using rodents (hamsters and rabbits), scientists also tested the possibility of inhibiting atherosclerosis using products made from raspberry raw materials. Thus, hamsters were given raspberry juice in their diet for 12 days, which resulted in a decrease in the level of triglycerides (the so-called “bad” fats). It turned out that it was possible to reduce cholesterol levels only with the help of the juice of a certain variety of raspberries. In the study, such a healing effect was found in the Cardinal variety.

In New Zealand, white rabbits were fed a diet high in fat and cholesterol and then supplemented with ellagic acid (1% of the total diet). By the end of the experiment, the animals had significantly reduced fat levels in their plasma and aorta, and the accumulation of cholesterol in the thoracic aorta slowed down.

For weight loss

The calorie content of fresh berries is estimated differently in different sources, but in most cases it is indicated at the level of 41-42 kcal per 100 g, which classifies raspberries into the group of low-calorie products. This allows it to be widely used both in designer diets and in the bakery industry in dried form to reduce the energy value of the dough while simultaneously increasing its taste.

Not only ripe fruits, but also those just beginning to ripen, are suitable for preparing raspberry flour. Peeled raspberries are dried in the sun and laid out on sieves in a layer of no more than 3 cm. Then the berries are sent to the oven, where, if properly dried, they become grayish-red in color and do not leave marks on the hands when sorted. Blackened berries are discarded. A sign that the process is being carried out correctly is also the preservation of the raspberry smell.

Dried and sorted berries are ground into flour and added to the dough. Flour products with reduced energy value obtained from such dough are in demand among overweight people who are unable to completely give up sweets. At the same time, fiber, minerals, and anti-sclerotic substances are retained in the resulting flour after processing.

Some ongoing research suggests that raspberry ketones increase enzyme activity, speeding up the metabolic process that releases energy. This, in turn, leads to poor fat absorption and may likely contribute to weight loss.

The idea of ​​compensating for the high-calorie components of diets with raspberries was expressed by US nutritionist Elsa Savage. She suggested replacing not only flour products with raspberries or blueberries, but also fruits, which, if consumed excessively, can easily neutralize the effect of a weight loss program (grapes, bananas, mangoes, etc.).

In cooking

Raspberries are a common component in compotes, jelly, jams and preserves. It is used to make jelly, marshmallows, marmalade, and is widely used as a filling for baked goods and as a filling for desserts.

Raspberries are ideally combined with cottage cheese, cream, milk, and ice cream. But it has taken root well in recipes not only for sweet desserts. Raspberry sauces are used to season meat dishes, and aromatic raspberry vinegar is used to season salads.

Red wine raspberry sauce can be prepared according to the following recipe:

1. 1 Berry (at the rate of ¼ kg) is sorted, separated from the stalks and washed. (To simply remove insects, the fruits are filled with cool water and then the floating insects are collected from the surface).
2. 2 Black peppercorns (5 pcs.) are crushed (coarse grinding is preferred).
3. 3 Raspberries are poured into a saucepan, where 100 grams of sugar and 100 ml of dry red wine are added.
4. 4 Cook the mixture over low heat for about 15 minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved.
5. 5 Chilled raspberries are ground through a sieve, after which ground pepper is added to the sauce.

There are recipes for spicy sauces based on white wine with the addition of lemon zest, red pepper, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon. Recipes for various raspberry liqueurs and vodkas are also widespread in cooking. The berry gives off its taste, smell and color very well to alcohol. To prepare raspberry alcoholic drinks, you usually need to infuse raspberries in vodka or cognac at room temperature for 1-2 weeks. And even frozen berries will do.

In cosmetology

Raspberry is a product that can have a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin both from the inside and outside.

Raspberry berries are part of the anti-aging diet of the famous US dermatologist Nicholas Perricone. His “Face Lift Diet” nutrition system:

• on the one hand, it is aimed at combating the effects of free radicals by “neutralizing” them with the help of products containing antioxidants;
• on the other hand, to exclude from the diet foods that cause the formation of free radicals.

With a balanced diet, Dr. Perricone fights eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis and early wrinkles.

At home, fresh raspberry leaves are also used to combat acne. To do this, they are ground in a mortar until a homogeneous paste is formed, which is applied to problem areas for 15-20 minutes, after which they are washed off with warm water and dried by patting the fingers.

To nourish and cleanse the skin at home, you can make raspberry lotion. When preparing it, mash a tablespoon of berries and pour in 300 g of vodka, allowing the composition to brew for 10 days in a dark place at room temperature. Before use, the lotion is diluted by half or 2/3 with water.

Recently, a popular cosmetic ingredient has become raspberry ketone. It is sold in different packages (usually from 5 g to 1 kg) in the form of a white crystalline powder, highly soluble in alcohol, hot oil, squalane, propylene glycol, triglycerides. The cosmetic advantage of raspberry ketone is that, thanks to its fat-burning properties, it effectively improves skin tone, improving its elasticity and eliminating sagging.

In facial cosmetics, raspberry ketone helps to narrow pores and activate metabolic processes, which ultimately creates a rejuvenating effect. In hair care products, this ingredient helps both strengthen falling hair and stimulate the growth of new ones. Thus, as part of various formulations, raspberry ketone solves a whole range of problems, including:

• smoothing and tightening of the skin;
• rejuvenation and smoothing of microrelief;
• prevention of baldness;
• fight against cellulite;
• fat burning;
• increased metabolism.

The share of raspberry ketone in cosmetics, as a rule, accounts for no more than 1-2%:

• Cosmetics for facial skin – up to 0.5%;
• Hair cosmetics: shampoos – up to 2%, anti-baldness products – 0.02%;
• Gels for strengthening eyelashes and enhancing their growth – 0.01%;
• Anti-cellulite serums and wraps – 1%.

Raspberry ketone does not dissolve very well in water, so homemade cosmetics are usually prepared based on alcohol, introducing the component in the final phase of preparing the product. When combining raspberry ketone with oils, it is added at the fatty phase, after which it is heated until completely dissolved (melting at a temperature of 80-85C).

Dangerous properties of raspberries and contraindications

Eating raspberries in large quantities can harm people suffering from gout, problems with the gallbladder, and kidneys. The reason for this is contained in the berry calcium oxalates, potentially capable of causing exacerbation of diseases.

The results of some studies have suggested a connection between the use of decoctions and infusions of raspberry branches with suppression of the function of the thyroid gland and pituitary gland. The appearance of the effect is explained by the probable presence of substances with a hormonal effect in the composition.

Due to the presence of coarse fibers in raspberries, you should refrain from consuming them during periods of exacerbation of gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers. And given the vitamin K content in raspberries, which affects blood clotting, people taking anti-clotting medications should consult their doctor before consuming raspberries.

Often the danger is created not so much by the product itself, but by distorted ideas about its properties. For example, in online cosmetology publications there is a widespread belief that raspberry seed oil provides protection from sun rays at an SPF level of 28 to 50. An attempt to identify the source of this information led to an article in the Journal of Food Chemistry, published in 2000 It said that similar results were obtained by a team of researchers consisting of Canadian, French and Chinese scientists. However, it was not indicated anywhere exactly how the researchers came to such conclusions and what activities were carried out to detect the effect.

Several points raised doubts about the correctness of the study:

• Firstly, a very large SPF range was announced without explaining the reasons for the difference in values.
• Secondly, the data presented contradicted other studies (American and Indian scientists from the University of Florida and Ravishankar Shukla University, respectively), which stated that the sun protection factor of most popular natural oils is approximately one - SPF 1. (The record holder in the study was mint oil pepper with SPF 7).

Thus, if you apply raspberry seed oil before going to the beach, there is a direct danger of getting sunburned - natural oils do little to prevent the penetration of UVB rays. In addition, they do not block UVA rays at all - more dangerous long ultraviolet waves, the harm from which is not immediately noticeable.

The vitamin E contained in raspberries is also unable to stop ultraviolet radiation (although it is also often attributed to the function of a filter). As an antioxidant in combination with vitamin C, which stabilizes molecules, vitamin E can correct the effects of solar radiation, but this requires that the oil be unrefined.

In addition, pure vegetable oils have low water resistance and do not adhere well as a barrier, being quickly absorbed by the skin. Therefore, if there is no harm from the product, but it still does not cope with the protective function that is assigned to it, then this also creates additional risks.

People have been writing and talking about raspberries since ancient times. Mention of berries appears in one version of the ancient Greek myth about the infancy of Zeus. They tried to hide the future Olympian supreme god from the bloodthirsty father Kronos, who wanted to destroy his heirs, who, according to the prediction, were supposed to overthrow him. To prevent the baby from giving away his location by screaming, one of the nymphs decided to distract him by treating him to raspberries. But while picking berries, she injured her hand on the thorns, causing them to turn the color of blood.

And indeed the Latin name for raspberries is Rubus idaeus– probably comes from the word “ rufus" meaning bright red color. However, in fact, the fruits of different varieties can be almost white, yellow, pink, and even black.

In living nature, everything is generally very confusing. For example, not only raspberries can have a raspberry taste. Red bananas differ from the usual yellow ones not only in their increased content of potassium, vitamin C and beta-carotene, but also in their special flavor, reminiscent of raspberry. The fruit of the “chocolate vine” - akebia - has the same feature, although its name contains a hint of the smell of chocolate, which can be felt when standing next to the plant.

And names in general are often misleading. A small tree of the mulberry family, Kudrania triacum, is common in East Asia. But besides this name, it has another name - “raspberry tree”. Although the taste of the fruits of this tree is more reminiscent of persimmons, outwardly there is a clear resemblance to raspberry fruits.

The higher the economic and traditional nutritional importance of a product in the national economy of a country, the more often this product is mentioned in folklore and copyright literature. Thus, among the Eastern Slavs, raspberries are mentioned in fairy tales more often than any other berry, and its image is associated with a sweet, carefree life, which is reflected in proverbs and sayings (for example, “Not life, but raspberries”). It is not surprising that in Russia, which ranks first in the industrial cultivation of this berry, Ivan Larionov’s 1860 song “Kalinka-Malinka” was considered folk for a long time.

In the Serbian town of Arilje, located in a picturesque hilly area, a monument to a raspberry picker was erected. The place was not chosen by chance. The city itself is often called the raspberry capital of the world, since the surrounding plantations harvest a fifth of Serbia’s total harvest, which is approximately 5% of the global product harvest. Millions of kilograms of berries pass through thousands of small factories every year.

Raspberries are considered the country's main export product and a unique recognizable brand, popular all over the world. In Serbia itself, it is poetically called “red gold”, and since 2012, festive events have been held under the general name “Raspberry Days”.

Since 2018, the Ukrainian village of Sadovoye, Tokmak district, Zaporozhye region, has its own monument to raspberries, made by a local sculptor. Its opening took place at the “Happy Berries Festival”, and its appearance is associated with the active work of an agricultural cooperative engaged in growing this garden crop.

But perhaps the most famous “sculptural” image of a berry in the world was created to present the Hollywood anti-prize for dubious achievements in the field of cinema, “Golden Raspberry”. The figurine, which is awarded to the most distinguished actors, directors, screenwriters and other film figures, is deliberately made of cheap plastic and spray-painted with deliberately bright yellow paint.

It is believed that the name of the anti-reward “Golden Raspberry” came from the slang expression “(to) blow raspberry (tongue)”, common in English-speaking countries, describing a specific way of expressing disdain to another person. (To show mockery, you need to blow with your tongue slightly protruding and your lips closed).

The Golden Raspberry Award has been awarded since 1981 on the eve of the announcement of the list of Oscar nominees and over the years of its existence has become very popular among viewers and critics. However, not only in the world of cinema, but also in real life, there are varieties that, thanks to their orange-yellow berries, could become a model for the authors of the figurine.

Selection and storage

Raspberries are chosen primarily based on its appearance. If there are no obvious damages on the surface of the drupe, it is better to buy elastic raspberries that have a uniform, rich color. Sluggish, darkened, wrinkled, moldy berries should be discarded.

Since raspberries in markets today are most often sold in transparent plastic cups, the buyer has the opportunity to examine the contents of this container more carefully, which is very convenient. Through the transparent walls of the glass you can see low-quality berries, which the seller sometimes puts at the bottom, disguising them as fresh. In addition, the buyer immediately notices if the raspberries have been in the glass for a long time and have already released the juice.

Dried berries should also be discarded. The storage period for raspberries taken from the bush in their natural form is very short. It is advisable to eat or freeze the fruits within the first 24 hours after harvest.

When properly frozen, raspberries can be stored until next year's harvest, while maintaining their beneficial properties. Freezing in several stages is considered “correct”, in which the berries are first washed in a colander under a weak stream of water so as not to damage the soft flesh, then dried on a paper towel, and finally laid out in a single layer on a baking sheet (tray), which is sent into the freezer. Only after the berries have frozen and hardened can they be poured into a hermetically sealed bag and placed in the freezer for long-term storage.

With this method, they do not form a frozen lump, do not lose their appearance, and take up little space in the refrigerator. Raspberries can also be stored in the form of jam for a very long time. But it is incorrect to compare these two methods, since after repeated heat treatment, raspberries lose almost all their beneficial properties.

One of the recently widespread ways to preserve most of the beneficial substances in berries is freeze-drying under vacuum conditions of previously frozen fruits. This differs from the open (household) drying method in the absence of contact of raspberries with oxidizing oxygen. The advantage of the method is that it preserves the taste, aroma, color and shape of the berries. The downside is the partial loss of anthocyanins and a slight loss of ascorbic acid.

Varieties and cultivation

The first varieties of raspberries began to appear in the 16th century. All of them came from plants brought from the forest. Today there are more than 600 varieties, but there is an opinion that many of them are inferior to their forest ancestor in terms of the content of nutrients in the fruits. Nevertheless, breeders have something to be proud of.

• Firstly, a number of varieties are distinguished by both excellent taste and attractive presentation, as well as a high content of anthocyanins, vitamins, and phenolic substances.
• Secondly, many remontant varieties have been developed, which are characterized by the ability to bear fruit on both annual and biennial shoots, which increases yield. The first such varieties appeared more than 200 years ago, and by the end of the 20th century their number exceeded fifty.

Below, as an example, we describe species that are distinguished by their commercial uniqueness and/or high antioxidant activity:

1. 1 "Eurasia". A remontant, unpretentious, early-ripening variety with dense, large (4-4.2 g) sweet and sour fruits appeared in 1994. The berries can be recognized by their conical shape, dark crimson color and matte skin surface. The fruits are not very aromatic, but this raspberry has high levels of antioxidant activity: anthocyanins - 149.6 mg/100 g, P-active compounds - 326 mg/100 g.
2. 2 "Hercules". Another remontant variety with large, but not very sweet and aromatic fruits. “Hercules” compensates for this deficiency by the fact that it is one of the record holders for vitamin C with indicators of 37.4 mg/100 g, and for anthocyanin content of 198 mg/100 g. Gardeners value it for its fairly high yield, which, at a good level agricultural technology can reach 3.5-4 kg per bush.
3. 3 "Cornish Victoria". The fruits have an unusual creamy-yellow color, which immediately attracts the attention of others. But this is not the only variety with a similar berry color. In addition to it, there are, for example, “Apricot”, “Golden Everest”, “Golden Giant”, “Honey”, “Golden Queen” and others. What they all have in common is that the berries are sometimes rich, but sometimes pale yellow in color, for which the species included in the group are often called “white raspberries.” Like other varieties of the group, “Cornish Victoria” contains little anthocyanins, but a lot of sugar, which is especially pleasing to lovers of very sweet berries.
4. 4 "Cumberland". It is the most common variety of black raspberry with high yield - up to 4 kg / bush. The berries are sweet and round. But the popularity of this variety is also challenged by other productive and very sweet varieties of black raspberries: “Bristol”, “Povorot”, “Ugolyok”. Some of them are distinguished by their high resistance to frost (“Ugolyok”, “Early Cumberland”), others by their special juiciness (“Bristol”, “Luck”), and others by their unique taste (“Boysenberry”).
5. 5 "Strawberry-Raspberry". Some consider it a hybrid of raspberries and strawberries - clubraspberry, because it reaches the size of a walnut and looks similar to both berries at the same time. However, this idea does not correspond to reality. In fact, “Strawberry-Raspberry” is an East Asian variety of wild raspberry, presented on the market under the names “Tibetan”, “Rose-leaved”, “Dwarf”, “Strawberry”, “Chinese”, etc. The species is gradually gaining popularity in our country as a decorative hedge in gardens, since it has fluffy and prickly shoots, which in middle latitudes do not rise above 1.5 meters. At the same time, large flowers on the bush get along well with already ripe huge fruits, which creates an additional decorative effect.

Raspberries should be grown taking into account varietal specifics. But in most cases, it can be planted both in spring (in the last ten days of April) and in autumn (from late August to late September), which is preferable. Raspberries are propagated by root suckers, individual bushes or by tape (trellis) method. Before this, the soil should be well fertilized with peat compost or manure humus.

Raspberries like slightly acidic soil that can hold water well. Due to the shallow depth of the roots, raspberries are sensitive to drying out of the soil. However, the plant also does not tolerate oversaturation of the soil with moisture, so you should take care of high-quality drainage.

Raspberry bushes need protection from the wind, which threatens to damage the shoots and interfere with pollinating insects. However, you should not hide raspberries in a heavily shaded “corner” - without the sun and good lighting, fruiting is noticeably reduced, and the berries ripen sour.

Information sources

1. US National nutrient database
2. US National nutrient database
3. Kähkönen M, Kylli P, Ollilainen V, Salminen JP, Heinonen M J. Agric Food Chem. Antioxidant activity of isolated ellagitannins from red raspberries and cloudberries. 2012 Feb 8.
4. Figueira ME, Câmara MB, Direito R, Rocha J, Serra AT, Duarte CM, Fernandes A, Freitas M, Fernandes E, Marques MC, Bronze MR, Sepodes B. Chemical characterization of a red raspberry fruit extract and evaluation of its pharmacological effects in experimental models of acute inflammation and collagen-induced arthritis. Food Function. 2014 Dec.
5. Sangiovanni E, Vrhovsek U, Rossoni G, Colombo E, Brunelli C, Brembati L, Trivulzio S, Gasperotti M, Mattivi F, Bosisio E, Dell"Agli M. Ellagitannins from Rubus berries for the control of gastric inflammation: in vitro and in vivo studies, PLoS One, 2013.
6. Yu YM, Wang ZH, Liu CH, Chen CS. Ellagic acid inhibits IL-1beta-induced cell adhesion molecule expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Br J Nutr. 2007 Apr.
7. Jia H, Liu JW, Ufur H, He GS, Liqian H, Chen P. The antihypertensive effect of ethyl acetate extract from red raspberry fruit in hypertensive rats. Pharmacogn Mag 2011.
8. Suh JH, Romain C, Gonzalez-Barrio R, Cristol JP, Teissedre PL, Crozier A, Rouanet JM. Raspberry juice consumption, oxidative stress and reduction of atherosclerosis risk factors in hypercholesterolemic golden Syrian hamsters. Food Function 2011.
9. Yu YM, Chang WC, Wu CH, Chiang SY. Reduction of oxidative stress and apoptosis in hyperlipidemic rabbits by ellagic acid. J Nutr Biochem 2005.

Reprint of materials

The use of any materials without our prior written consent is prohibited.

Safety regulations

The administration is not responsible for attempting to use any recipe, advice or diet, and also does not guarantee that the information provided will help and will not harm you personally. Be smart and always consult your appropriate physician!

In Russia, there are currently more than a dozen of the most popular loyalty programs that are not associated with specific brands. If we add to them programs tied to trademarks, then in total there will be about several hundred of them.

Pyaterochka, Perekrestok, Karusel and other supermarkets that are part of the retail monopoly X5 Retail Group have their own loyalty programs. Customer cards with bonuses are offered by household appliances stores, clothing stores, mobile operators, banks, gas stations of various brands and many others.

One of the most popular coalition loyalty programs in Russia was the Malina program, founded in 2006, which allowed one to accumulate bonus points and then spend them with partners or buy equipment in a special catalog for them. Malina collaborated with 25 major partners: the BP gas station chain, Beeline, Raiffeisenbank, Tinkoff Bank, the Rosinter Restaurants restaurant chain, the 36.6 pharmacy chain and a number of others.

How did it happen that this program, which even received the Loyalty Awards Russia-2016 “For the promotion of loyalty marketing in Russia” in 2016, went bankrupt and left millions of people without accumulated points?

"Raspberries" have bloomed

The enterprise itself was organized thoroughly. The owner of Malina is Loyalty Partners Vostok LLC, which is wholly owned by the offshore Cyprus company CSI Loyalty Partners Ltd. Loyalty Partners is owned by businessman Sergei Borodin, who picked up and developed the idea of ​​Malina founder Michael Llewelyn, who at that time had more than 10 years of experience in developing, managing and promoting such programs around the world.

Photo: sirtravelalot/shutterstock.com

The service was actively growing: by 2018, about 6 million people became cardholders, as stated on the program’s website. In 2012, when Malina had not yet encountered its first problems, Loyalty Partners Vostok LLC reported revenue of 714 million rubles and a net profit of 4 million rubles.

Malina’s first problems began in 2014. At that time they did not yet affect the holders. The fact is that Rosneft acquired a partnership in the Malina loyalty program along with the purchase of TNK-BP, Malina’s largest partner. The brand's cards were still serviced at gas stations, but payments to the brand were suspended. Then Rosneft decided to abandon the Malina program, since it already had its own and was developing it, although Mr. Borodin assured then that the difficulties were of a technical nature and a new agreement would soon be concluded with Rosneft.

The example of Rosneft was followed by VimpelCom (Beeline brand), which in 2015 announced the termination of cooperation with Malina due to the development of its own loyalty program. The operator then also began an active search for partners for its program in the telecommunications industry.

In 2017, things went very poorly for Malina. Then, under the vacancy of Loyalty Partners Vostok LLC, one of Malina’s former employees wrote a comment:

The company is dying. Employees were transferred from white salaries to gray ones in an envelope. Everything was quiet - HR came, slipped a piece of paper for signature and that’s it. Half of the employees were transferred to the organization LLC GROUP OF COMPANIES MLN, which is developing a completely different project, Fuel Truck. The salary there is also gray.

Finally, in 2018, Tinkoff Bank also turned its back on Malina. He published a message on his website that Malina cards will be transferred to the Bravo loyalty program starting in July, and accumulated bonuses will be converted into a new format. The design of the cards did not change, they just started accruing bonuses from another loyalty program and they no longer had any connection with Malina and its catalogue.

Malina then published a message on its website about “temporary difficulties” that were planned to be resolved soon. Then the product catalog disappeared from the site, and soon the site itself stopped opening (now it just shows the program logo). At the end of September 2018, the company Loyalty Partners Vostok, which owns the brand, filed an application for bankruptcy with the Moscow Arbitration Court.

What and how much did people lose?

Malina's business had an interesting model. It was based on the intermediate stage between the seller and the buyer and was based on the benefits of intermediation. This is the model for all non-brand loyalty programs. From purchases from partners, Malina accrued a percentage for individuals, and in return received regular payments for stimulating sales.

A percentage of purchases was awarded in ephemeral points in the ratio of 1 point for every 20 rubles. For them, however, it was possible to purchase quite real things from the catalogue, but a number of users noted that, in fact, their price turned out to be inflated, and not the market price, since it was set by Malina itself.

Some cardholders of this loyalty program report 3-7 thousand points remaining in their account, others talk about tens and hundreds of thousands. If we count by the maximum volume, then the size of unspent bonuses can reach more than an impressive amount of 120 billion rubles. However, it is important to note here that we are not talking about money taken from the pockets of holders, but about their loss of the opportunity to take advantage of incentives for their purchasing activity.

The holders also state that in the agreement for participation in the program, Malina prudently did not stipulate its obligation to provide goods and services in the amount of rubles, which is converted from points at the above rate. The agreement provided that the loyalty program only creates conditions and provides the opportunity for holders to take advantage of these bonuses, but is not at all obliged to convert all of them into rubles.

Returns and exchanges are not possible

The lack of obligations to sell points is the main problem of such related loyalty programs, noted General Director of Information and Analytical Agency Infoline Ivan Fedyakov. He expressed doubt that people would be able to somehow get their accumulated points back.

This is very unlikely, the prospects are extremely low. The “Malina” program itself is a kind of quasi-product that unites the participants of this program with obligations. These members are not directly responsible for receiving any services or goods for the accumulated points. They are likely to avoid fulfilling obligations. If the program ceases to exist, then all its participants relieve themselves of their obligations to maintain the card,

Fedyakov noted.

According to him, one of the reasons for the collapse of Malina was the general decline in customer interest in loyalty programs, as well as the introduction of their own cards by its partners. At the same time, people are more accustomed to trusting discounts and promotions rather than cards, since discounts for most consumers are the simplest and most understandable loyalty tool.

“There were even studies that showed that more than 3/4 of the loyalty cards issued by retailers are not used by consumers. This applied both to mono-systems, when the loyalty card belonged to one retailer, and to cross-systems like Malina. Even when the seller offers to get a card for free, consumers refuse,” Fedyakov said.

Therefore, the expert noted, retailers already want to complete the “attraction of unheard-of generosity” with discounts and promotions that have reached a very serious depth and breadth of assortment. This has also slowed down the sellers themselves, who are already exceeding the peak on discounts and promotions and cannot develop further. This means that there will be fewer and fewer discounts in stores, and sellers will be more and more active in luring customers into all kinds of loyalty programs.

According to the director of Infoline, “Malina” became a good example for the market and served as a kind of warning for people. But despite this, the loyalty market in Russia will only grow and become more sophisticated.

Many people who did not have one began to launch their own loyalty programs. Now these are, for example, Magnit and Auchan. That is, those retailers who, in principle, followed a program of discounts and promotions, rather than loyalty cards. Sooner or later, cross-loyalty systems like Malina, which collapsed due to its crude and outdated model, will return to the market.

Fedyakov said.

The expert also added that in the future, Russian residents should expect a surge in cross-border loyalty programs that will approach this business in a new way. In particular, they will stimulate demand for goods of certain brands, attracting buyers with profitable points.

Thus, problems with the instability of loyalty programs will not go away. The only question will be to what extent the buyers themselves will be able to turn this to their advantage without increasing their purchasing appetites and becoming dependent on bonuses and points. “Malina” was essentially selling “air”, not goods, but a simple opportunity to get something supposedly for free for previously made purchases. The scheme of such a loyalty program can even be considered a scam, because in the end, people, for their part, conscientiously fulfilled their part of the deal - bought goods, accumulated points. However, “Malina” turned out to be not so sweet when it turned out that she would no longer be able to fulfill her part of the agreement, and her partners simply would not want to.

In spring, shorten last year's stems by a third of their entire growth. Then trim down to the ground all the dead branches that already produced a harvest last year. In summer, destroy excess young shoots at the base of the bush and root suckers that appear between the bushes if they are not needed for propagation. Make supports or garters for flexible raspberry branches, otherwise they will bend to the ground due to the weight of the berries and leaves. Allow the young shoots of the current year to grow upward freely.

And in the fall, after collecting the fruits, tie them in place of the removed ones. Raspberries require a lot of fertilizer, as their strong growth constantly depletes the soil. Therefore, every autumn after digging, “cover” the soil with humus 10 cm high and leave it on the surface until next summer. Sometimes you can also fertilize in the spring, using phosphorus and potassium fertilizers; they should be planted to a depth of 10–12 cm. Use nitrogen-containing fertilizers - slurry, bird droppings - only in the spring. In summer, they cause increased growth of shoots, which then do not ripen and do not survive wintering well.

When filling berries, also use phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. Water the raspberry plot generously: when ovaries form, every 7–10 days. At the end of August, stop watering. For the winter, all shoots need to be bent and pinned as close to the ground as possible. Try to bend it as low as possible so that the snow covers the entire plant. And remember: raspberries can be grown in one place for no more than 10 years, because after that the yields drop sharply.

Features of large-fruited raspberry varieties Large-fruited varieties are called varieties that produce berries weighing 5-12 g, while the largest single berries can reach 15-18 g. Gardeners with good care of large-fruited raspberries receive 5-6 kg of berries from one bush. At the same time, the taste and aroma of berries of large-fruited varieties are superior to many traditional raspberry varieties. Like ordinary raspberries, the berries of the first harvest and the berries on stronger fruit branches are the largest. Over the years, as the bushes mature, the large fruit and yield of raspberries increases. How else do these varieties differ? Large-fruited raspberries have one feature - its fruit branches (laterals) are capable of branching, and some varieties have 3-5 orders of branching. More than 30 large berries ripen on this lateral. This is another reason for the high yield of large-fruited varieties (the first is the ability to produce large berries). Among the large-fruited varieties there are early and late ones, with red or yellow berries, sweet and sour-sweet taste, resistant to diseases, and quite winter-hardy.
"Hussar"- one of the best varieties in the “Golden Series of Kazakovsky raspberries” (Professor I.V. Kazakov bred high-yielding raspberry varieties in Bryansk “Beglyanka”, “Indian Summer”, “Volnitsa”, “Peresvet”, “Sputnitsa”, etc.). The bush produces little growth and bears fruit abundantly. Raspberries of medium early ripening. The berries are large (up to 10 g), juicy, dark ruby ​​color, slightly elongated. This variety is frost-resistant and disease-resistant. Raspberry "Gussar" will be a worthy decoration of your garden.

"Arbat"– raspberries selected by Professor V.V. Kichins. The variety is distinguished by completely smooth, thornless stems. The berries are large and very large (4-12 g), elongated and conical, beautiful “chiseled” shape, dark red, shiny. Removed from the stalk without breaking; dense, withstands transportation well.

"Golden Giant"– improved variety of Yellow Giant. The berries are large, juicy, amber in color. In winter, it is advisable to bend the stems so that they overwinter under the snow.

"Tarusa"- raspberry tree. This group of powerful varieties by Professor V.V. Kichina makes it possible to grow raspberries without trellises and stakes, without pruning. The berries of this variety are elongated, large, weighing up to 16 g. The taste of the berries is sweet, with a pleasant “raspberry” aroma, with juicy melting pulp and a few small seeds. The berries are suitable for fresh consumption and for all types of home processing. This plant is called a raspberry tree for its powerfully developed shoots and the bush as a whole. The raspberry tree "Tarusa" is one of the most productive raspberry varieties.

"Giant"– a new variety of thornless raspberries with especially large berries. The weight of the berry reaches 25 g. The bush produces very little growth. Productivity 8-12 kg per bush. This unique variety, desired by gardeners, is the real pride of Russia!

"Indian summer"– a popular variety of remontant raspberries. The first harvest occurs in late June–early July and bears fruit until frost.

"Apricot"– remontant raspberries with beautiful orange berries that have an apricot flavor. This variety is more abundant than Indian Summer. I believe that “Abriksovaya” can replace yellow-fruited raspberries, since this variety is more frost-resistant and unpretentious.

"R-34"- an unsurpassed variety of remontant large-fruited raspberries produced by Professor V.V. Kichina. In this variety, the second fruiting is shifted to an earlier date, which allows you to collect more berries before frost.

"Ruby Giant"– improved Patricia variety (Professor V.V. Kichina). Early ripening. The berries are very large, sweet, conical in shape.

"Raspberries from Sweden"– forms large bushes up to 3 m high. The berries are large, round, dense, sweet. There are 18-20 berries in clusters.

Growing productive raspberries

Raspberries have simple agricultural technology.

To cultivate high-yielding raspberries, you must follow two rules:
1. In May, cut off excess shoots.
2. Do double pruning in the summer.
The first - in June, when the raspberry bushes reach a height of 1.5 m (their tops need to be cut off at a height of 1-1.2 meters).
The second - in July (pruning the formed side branches).

With this pruning, the strength of the raspberry roots will be directed to the formation of fruit buds, and not to the growth of shoots and leaves.

It is a mistake to cut off the tops of long raspberry stems in the spring after wintering.

Double pruning is not suitable for standard raspberries and yellow ones, which need to be bent down for the winter.

A good agricultural practice for raspberries is to sprinkle a mixture of humus and peat around the bushes (15 cm layer). In this case, moisture is better retained in the soil throughout the summer, and nutrients are supplied to the roots. Before mulching, all weeds, of course, must be removed.

Raspberries are very responsive to the application of manure.

Buying quality seedlings

I would like to warn gardeners against possible deception when purchasing seedlings.
There are enterprising businessmen who dig up shoots of fruit trees and shrubs (raspberries, currants, honeysuckle, cherries, plums, etc.) from abandoned garden plots and take them to the market, inventing the names of the varieties.
To avoid being deceived, buy seedlings only from people who have a sign (token) containing the full details of the seller (full name, address, passport number). In this case, the person is responsible for the plants sold. If there is no such representation from the owner of the planting material - no matter what they tell you or promise - do not believe it!

You take a big risk if you buy seedlings not from a nursery from specialists, but from “highway” sellers. Planting material is sold everywhere on roadsides. Very often, seedlings are sold by the roadside by people who are far from agriculture and who only seek to make an easy profit.

The Vyksa fruit and berry nursery offers seedlings of the latest high-yielding varieties of raspberries, raspberry trees and other plants that will delight you with high yields and tasty fruits that will decorate your garden.

Large selection of frost-resistant varieties: apple trees, pears, currants, grapes, cherries, honeysuckle, blackberries, gooseberries.
We sell ornamental and medicinal plants, vegetable and flower seeds.

Our planting material is grown organically, without the use of chemicals. The seedlings have an excellent root system, ensuring 100% survival rate. The plants are strong, 2-3 years old, and easily tolerate transportation and transplantation.
We send seedlings and seeds by mail.

Remontant raspberry

Unlike ordinary raspberries with a two-year development cycle in the above-ground part, remontant raspberries are an “annual” plant. Within one season, it manages to grow and produce a harvest on the shoots of the current year. Fruit-bearing shoots are cut down to soil level in late autumn. In this case, the maximum berry harvest is achieved, most of which occurs in August-September. In central Russia, when choosing varieties, you need to pay attention to the start date of fruiting: the earlier, the more harvest the gardener can get. It’s very disappointing when bunches of green berries disappear under the snow.

To speed up fruiting, it is better to plant remontant raspberries in high beds with a large amount of organic matter. To speed up the growth of shoots, you can clear the snow near the bushes in the spring and cover the shoots with non-woven material or film.

Advantages of remontant raspberries

• You can grow it without the use of chemicals, since it is much less damaged by diseases and pests (by the time it blooms late, there are almost no pests).
• The harvest is environmentally friendly, labor and financial costs are lower.
• The period for collecting fresh berries is extended by 2–2.5 months. In some years, until the end of October, even after frosts down to –5°C, when there are practically no berries with a dessert taste in the garden, ovaries form and full-fledged berries develop from them. The slightly less sweet taste is compensated by the lack of wormholes.
• The problem of winter hardiness and winter drying of shoots becomes irrelevant - we cut off the upper part of the bush, and the root system of raspberries is extremely winter-hardy.
• Significantly higher yield compared to ordinary raspberries. In this regard, large-fruited remontant raspberries are more demanding in terms of nutrition, moisture, and lighting.
• In October, before frost, you can pick branches with green berries and put them in water - they will gradually ripen.

B. Raspberries grow strongly, but produce low yields

1. Variety selection must be carried out in accordance with your wishes about the quality of the berries and in accordance with the soil and climatic conditions of your raspberry growing areas. If you decide to grow red, yellow or black raspberries, then you need to choose varieties of these forms that are recommended for your area. Your southern varieties may freeze, and your varieties from the northern regions may grow and not form berries. We have already considered the requirements for varieties; here we will only note that gardeners often “inappropriately” plant varieties that are unsuitable for them, and here care measures will change almost nothing.

2. The most common mistake is abundance of growth on planting raspberries. After planting and for 10 to 15 years of growing raspberries in one place, you must regularly destroy all the shoots without exception, and leave only the bushes you planted. A tough and uncompromising fight against raspberry shoots must be waged at the beginning of each season, when all the shoots in the ground are still green and pruned with a sharp shovel. Usually such shoots remain dried in place. The main thing is that with this removal of shoots we do not disturb the root system of the raspberry bush itself. If the shoots were not removed until the fall, but were dug up in the fall, then the root system of the bush is severely damaged and this is very bad for the plant as a whole.

3. One of the most common mistakes gardeners make is growing raspberries. without supports . High yields are produced only by raspberries whose shoots are tied to a wire on a trellis. You can tie raspberry shoots to other types of supports, but until now high raspberry yields have been obtained only on a trellis. We have already discussed in detail how and from what the trellis is installed in Chapter 3, but here we note that the absence of a trellis negates all our efforts in selecting varieties, fertilizers and watering, and there is simply nothing to replace the trellis on raspberries. Gardeners are known to produce good raspberries without a trellis, but judge for yourself that the best yields on a trellis rise to 24 tons per actual hectare (without recalculations from small plots), and without a trellis all known yields were much less than 10 t/ha.

4. When growing raspberries, the most productive are plantings with row spacing 1.8 m. For the raspberries themselves, this width is quite enough, but for a person and for his processing tools, row spacing is often 2.0 or 2.5 m, and with careless care, row spacing is 3.0 m. Negligent care means a wide ribbon of bushes and overgrowth, careless care - this is the absence of a trellis on the plantation. The wider the row spacing, the fewer fruit-bearing plants per hectare, the lower the yield. The raspberries are raging, growing strongly, but the harvest is very small only on the tops of the shoots and berries.

Plants are planted less frequently in a row; practice with “cultural” care has established that the best yield is obtained when planted in a row across 70 cm. The biological reasons for this are described in the corresponding section of our book, but we note here that a more productive planting has not yet been invented, and you yourself decide what is best for you.

5. Wrong actions of the gardener himself often lead to the fact that the plants develop strongly, but the harvest from them is small. At excess nitrogen fertilizers Raspberry shoots grow very tall, up to 3 - 3.5 m, and the harvest develops only on the tops of the shoots. The gardener himself draws the conclusion from this that the previous amount of nitrogen fertilizers for his specific plants must be reduced (sometimes by half), and after that his raspberries will not “rage” next year.

When manure or other fertilizers are applied to raspberries in the second half of summer, this causes a new wave of growth and by winter the plants arrive unprepared and can freeze severely even with slight frosts. Next year there will be almost no harvest, but the development of shoots will be very strong. This means applying manure and other fertilizers in the second half of summer You can’t, it’s to your own detriment.

Incorrect pruning, when in each bush only 3 to 5 strong shoots are left instead of 7, leads to a wave of new strong green growth and a low harvest for the next year. Each bush must have a sufficient number of last year's shoots for this year's harvest, usually this 7 escapes when planting bushes every 70 cm in a row. If few fruiting shoots are left, then the raspberry plant switches its energies to developing a large number of annual shoots, and there is almost no harvest.

Some gardeners plant raspberries more often, not every 70 cm in a row, but every 30 or 50 cm, but this does not improve the yield and quality of the berries. There are many gardeners who leave a wide ribbon of shoots, about 1 m wide. With this care, the number of shoots per hundred square meters increases sharply, the yield of berries per shoot drops sharply, and the overall yield of berries per hundred square meters is greatly reduced. All this is discussed in detail in our book, and here we mention it as a reason for possible failures.

All the deviations from normal care of raspberry bushes listed here significantly worsen the yield and quality of the berries, which become smaller, unfulfilled, watery and tasteless.

G. Raspberry cannot degenerate

Many gardeners have very bad raspberries that are on their
the plot itself became like this over a number of years, although at first the bushes were normal and the harvest was not bad. Now there is almost no harvest, the berries are bad and many plants have simply disappeared. In such cases they say that the raspberry has degenerated.

In 1970 - 1980 Many times I took seedlings from areas where the raspberries had degenerated and only pitiful remnants remained of good raspberries. I planted seedlings of such diseased raspberries under the conditional number at my institute in breeding plots, where there was the usual care, but all the seedlings received three feedings, as described in this book. At the same time, at the same dacha, together with the owner, we replanted the frail “tails” of diseased raspberries from degenerate raspberries and also carried out three feedings for them. Plants of “degenerate” raspberries under such conditions gradually came to their senses, produced ordinary shoots and leaves.

In all 27 cases, I obtained normal plants from degenerate raspberries, which in the third year produced a good harvest of the original original variety. In this way, I restored the old raspberry varieties Usanka, Herbert, Spirina white, Early sweet, Vislukha, Phoenix and others that were lost in the institute’s collection. All these varieties began to again produce a bountiful harvest of berries typical for each variety. In exactly the same way, in dacha and garden plots, where I took frail, outdated plants from degenerate raspberries, exactly the same way here the raspberries came to their senses, mainly after two years of care and fertilizing, and they again became productive and had an outwardly healthy appearance.

We have already noted that no variety can degenerate into another raspberry, there is simply no biological basis for this, but any variety can become a very bad raspberry. This can always be corrected and to do this you just need to replant the remaining frail plants of degenerate raspberries on good soil and then give them increased care.

But we can always return the usual neglected state of raspberries to their original, very good state, and then the old variety again begins to delight us with its wonderful berries.

Here are the most common reasons why gardeners fail when growing raspberries. In general, obtaining high yields of high-quality berries from raspberries is not a big problem and does not require anything unusual. With normal, routine care, raspberries can annually fully provide the gardener and his family all summer with fresh berries and processed products for the rest of the year.