BLACKBERRIES
Late summer is blackberry harvest time, so the prices drop dramatically for several weeks.
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
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.
The ancient Greeks and Romans purportedly used blackberries to treat gout, a painful joint problem, but I couldn't find any modern research on this.
FRESH OR FROZEN
Blackberry plants are related to roses, and blackberry brambles are similarly thorny, although newer thornless varieties are becoming popular. Unlike rosebushes, which tend to be persnickety and need lots of coddling by a gardener, blackberry brambles tend to be rambunctious and will happily take over your yard, even growing in shade if given a chance.
Blackberries are larger than their mild-tasting cousin, raspberries. Thus you can pick more blackberries than raspberries in less time.
Bold but fragile, blackberries are best eaten within a day or two of harvest--otherwise they deflate and bruise a bit.
Because I like to buy lots of berries at once, I've found ways to eat them and store them so that I don't waste any.
By far my favorite way to eat the berries is out of hand. They also make wonderful topping for breakfast cereal. After dinner, blackberries are the crowning touch on vanilla ice cream. And blackberries make fabulous jam.
I also freeze blackberries on cookie sheets overnight, then put them in quart-size freezer bags. You can add frozen berries to muffin mixes or use them in any fruit cobbler recipe.
Even folks who hate to bake may like my 10-minute blackberry pie, adapted from the "Moosewood Cookbook." I'm also including a version of the recipe that's crustless and produces a tasty, pudding-like dessert.
Jennifer Motl welcomes reader questions via her Web site, brighteating.com, or mailed to Nutrition, The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401.
10-Minute Blackberry Pie Serves eight. 9-inch graham-cracker Put about 6 cups of berries in the pie crust. Put the remaining 2 cups of berries, sugar and cornstarch Pour the puree from the blender into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer, whisking frequently, for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Pour the sauce into the pie crust with the fresh berries. Cool to room temperature (or chill) before serving. Nutritional analysis (for a single serving):260 calories, 2 grams protein, 8 grams fat, 47 grams carbohydrate, 7 grams fiber, 75 milligrams vitamin C, 170 milligrams sodium 10-MINUTE BLACKBERRY SPA PUDDING Serves eight 8 cups fresh blackberries Use the blackberry pie recipe, but skip the crust, and instead divide the berries and sauce into eight pretty dishes, such as custard cups or teacups. The berries still look like beautiful gems, and this relatively low-carbohydrate, fat-free, sodium-free dessert is luxurious and full of fiber and vitamin C. It's a good dessert 110 calories, 1 gram protein, 0.5 gram fat, 27 grams carbohydrate, 7 grams fiber, 75 milligrams vitamin C, no fat, |
Jennifer Motl is a registered dietitian. Formerly of Fredericksburg, she now lives in Wisconsin. |