'Bristol' Black Raspberry

  Rubus occidentalis Origin: Geneva, New York Improvement status: Cultivar Seeds per packet: ~25 BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED Life cycle: Perennial NEW FOR 2022. Introduced in 1934 by the Geneva (NY) Agricultural Experiment Station, 'Bristol' is from the first generation of black raspberry cultivars released by a public plant breeding program in the US. Black raspberries have always been something of a niche crop, more likely to be encountered by most people as a wild plant, but in our neck of the woods — the Mid-Atlantic — black raspberries are an old-timey favorite for products from jams, jellies, and pies, to yogurts, milkshakes, and (especially) ice cream. They can even be found fresh at some farmers' markets. From what we've been told, it's similarly beloved in the Midwest, where they might more likely be called "black caps." Though it was an early release, 'Bristol' is still considered by many to be the best-tasting black raspberry cultivar available. Considered a mi