Raspberries are a soft, easily damaged fruit - for this reason they are best home-grown (eaten before they can be damaged) or made into conserves to preserve the flavor and richness.
They also make a great sorbet.
Raspberries can grow very lushly and produce wonderful fruit in a moist, heavily mulched soil. They send out suckers which can find their way through the mulch, but the mulch offers protection from weeds, keeps the soil moist, and enriches the soil.