In the spotlight - Blackberries

Admittedly we're cheating a little bit here. Blackberries don't usually come into season till September, though some years you do see ripe berries on the brambles in August, but with the weather this summer, I don't think there have been the conditions for that this time around. However, with a bursting fruit and veg basket on offer in September and All Things Fruit and Veg away for part of September, it makes sense to get a head start on those to spotlight.

There can't be many of us who as a child didn't spend an autumn afternoon gathering blackberries growing in hedgerows; no doubt some of us still enjoy this now, particularly when the end result is a crumble, fruit pie or jar of jam. However, apart from being a pleasant way to while away a couple of hours and producing some sumptuous sweet treats, blackberries offer a lot nutritionally. Blackberries are rich in Vitamin C and K, fibre and contain smaller amounts of most other vitamins and minerals. Their dark colour also means that they are packed full of phytonutrients including antioxidants, thought to be protect the cells of the body from damage. In fact, research published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2006 indicated that blackberries have the highest phytonutrient content of any food. That's an excuse if ever there was one to eat up blackberries whilst they are in season!

It's probably best to go easy on your intake of the desserts that blackberries feature in due to their sugar and fat content. However, these can be made healthier - reduce the amount of sugar added to the fruit or use a sweetener; replace a portion of the flour used in a crumble with oats; or only use pastry to top a fruit pie instead of having a pastry base and sides as well.

Although blackberries make a good snack to nibble on, they can also be incorporated into breakfasts and healthy desserts to follow a meal. Blackberries make a nice addition to cereal or to top porridge; make a smoothie with these berries, a banana and natural yoghurt; set them in a sugar free jelly and even make a trifle from this by adding a layer of sugar free custard then Quark - a virtually fat free soft cheese that can be used instead of cream.

Attribution:
Photo by De-Okin via Wikimedia Commons