When,
I saw this week’s photo prompt from Madison Woods http://madisonwoods.wordpress.com/ I cried, “Aww, raspberries,” in the same dismal tone of frustration as Alfalfa of
Little Rascals fame.
But after twenty seconds of exhaustive research, I uncovered this tasty morsel of little-known history regarding the lowly raspberry.
But after twenty seconds of exhaustive research, I uncovered this tasty morsel of little-known history regarding the lowly raspberry.
The Great Raspberry Rebellion of 1851
In 1851, textile mill owner, Robert Knight, traveled
to Rhode Island to seek the perfect symbol for this trade name, Fruit of the
Loom.
A cornucopia of fruit auditioned for the underwear
manufacturer. An apple and currants were hired immediately. A banana and peach
were caught in an illicit affair and disqualified for immoral behavior, leaving
only grapes and raspberries to battle for the remaining positions.
The raspberries rose up in defiance, only to be crushed
by the purple and green grapes. Historians refer to this incident as The
Raspberry Rebellion, or by its more common name, The Wrath of Grapes.
