About 80% of my Autumn Bliss raspberries have a strange taste and aroma. They look perfectly Ok, but the sort of have a smokey taste. Anybody else have this problem?
I was thinking about your post as I picked more rasps this evening - quality checking the occasional one (as you do)
Now 'smokey' means different things to different people, but when I popped an over ripe one in my mouth, that's when I thought it tasted smokey - could that be the answer.
Over ripe is one that is dark dark pink/red and softer/almost dropping of the stalk.
They are the best ones... until you get one that's actually gone mouldy... :-[
I have had a similar taste problem.
As they get more sunshine they improve, but all the early "autumn" fruiting ones tasted yuk
I suppose they could be over ripe, I didn't think of that. I might just get rid of the red and grow more yellow raspberries as I never seem have problem with them, even the birds ignore them :).