BLACKBERRIES are not only one of nature's healthiest fruits, they are also a great value this time of year.

Late summer is blackberry harvest time, so the prices drop dramatically for several weeks. I buy loads of blackberries now, and I recommended that you do, too, while this delicacy is affordable.

The fruit is deliciously sweet-tart, and it's packed with antioxidants that shield the memory and protect the heart. It's also loaded with fiber and vitamin C, and relatively low in calories.

The least expensive and most fun way to get blackberries, I think, is to visit a local farm and pick your own. I remember once picking 11 pounds of blackberries in less than an hour in Virginia.

Not only was the fruit much less expensive than at the market, but I enjoyed the farm itself--sunshine, blue sky, green fields and the quiet company of a few butterflies. To me, it was pure relaxation, followed by a feast of berries.

JUICY, PROTECTIVE

Velvety purple-black, the berries taste deliciously sweet, sour and juicy all at once. Their gloriously purple pigments are anthocyanins, natural antioxidants that may reduce risks of cancer and heart disease.

Ripe blackberries taste as decadent as any rich dessert, yet a cup of blackberries has only 75 calories. It also has a whopping 10 grams of fiber, due to the tiny, edible seeds that give the berries a delicate crunch. To get that much fiber from other fruits, such as apples, you would have to eat three times as much!

The average adult needs more than 25 grams of fiber a day to protect the heart and the digestive system, so a single cup of blackberries gets an adult almost halfway there.

On a side note, many of my patients have diverticulitis, a serious, painful intestinal problem. Years ago, doctors advised avoiding nuts and seedy fruits like blackberries. However, many physicians now say berries are safe for most people. They actually recommend a high-fiber diet to protect against further bouts of diverticulitis. However, if you have concerns about this, don't take it from me--ask your doctor directly.

Blackberries also have nearly four times as much vitamin C as apples. Although they contain less than do citrus fruits such as oranges, they still have enough vitamin C to help keep your skin smooth and to boost the immune system.