ORIGIN The scientific name for red raspberries, Rubus idaeus, means literally “bramble bush of Ida”, named both for the nursemaid of the Greek God Zeus and the mountain where they grew on the island of Crete. It is said to have originated on the thick bushes on the foothills of Mt. Ida, the people of Troy gathered the wild berries around the time of Christ. They were associated with fertility in Greek Mythology. The berries were once white but when Zeus’ nursemaid, Ida pricked her finger on a thorn it stained the berries red and they have remained red ever since. ...
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