Berries

Berry Berry Interesting…

I like my berries like I like my men. Small, soft and juicy.

Well, perhaps not.

Berries are a particularly naughty bunch. Hailing from all sorts of different places and with all sorts of different properties and demands, berries come in so many varieties that we thought we’d bundle our berries all together in one handy fact file all about strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and cranberries. Yay!

Strawberries

Easily the most popular (and, as a result, big-headed) of the berry clan, strawberries found fame during the French Revolution when well-known figure, Madame Tallien, bathed in tubs full of freshly crushed strawberries to keep the radiance of her skin. These days we know that strawberries do us a lot more good when we actually eat them, and don’t just prance around a naked, covered in strawberry juice and eating cake in front of poor people.

Strawberries are full of Silica, Magnesium, Iron and Vitamins A, B and C as well as antioxidants. Enhancing liver function is one of their favourite tricks, along with relieving high blood pressure.

They are also meant to be great if you’re thirsty or have a hoarse throat.

So there.

Raspberries

What can we say about our sharp, tart, little friends? They are particularly good when covered in sugar and a dash of vinegar then let to sit in the fridge for 6 hours.

Full of stuff (Vitamins A, B and C, Iron, Potassium, Malic and Salicylic acids) to help cleanse the blood of toxins has meant that raspberries have been used as an ancient folk remedy for women who suffer from pre-menstrual tension and menopausal difficulties.

They are also good for skin disorders such as eczema as well as curbing the effects of vomiting. Nice.

Blueberries

What can we tell you about blueberries that you don’t already know?

These little (purple if you ask me) wonders have received an awful lot of attention in recent times. Now classified in the ‘superfoods’ section of your local health store, blueberries we once the staple of original Little House on the Prairie style pies, cooling on every pioneering windowsill in America.

Since then fashion has taken hold of ancient evidence and propelled blueberries into a new and exciting age.

Full of the anti-cancer and anti-bacterial properties of anti-oxidants and vitamins, blueberries are one of the best anti-aging foods out there.
Ancient folk uses include reliving abdominal cramps, intestinal infections and cystitis as well as symptoms of a sore throat and Raynaud’s disease.

Coo-el.

Cranberries

A close associate of the blueberry, cranberries, (or Sassamanash as they are known in some indigenous tribes of North America) are similar in healing properties, full of antioxidants and good for bladder functions. They are mainly cultivated in North America, where they are native. Juicing cranberries is a relatively new process, only made possible by new fangled industrial machinery. Traditionally served with turkey (or a nut roast) on Christmas day, cranberries have a tart flavour when fresh.

Cranberries are unusually high in tannins, which have anti-clotting properties, reducing the risk of urinary tract infections and the amount of plaque-causing bacteria in the mouth. Sexy.