Good Food Part Two - Berries
It’s been a while since I wrote my first installment of my Good Food thing that I thought I would make a regular part of my blog, so perhaps it’s about time I looked at item number two on Rosemary Stanton’s list of “The 20 Healthiest Foods you can Eat” that appeared in August in The Age’s Sunday Life Magazine. (The full list can be found here - thanks to Denise for searching it out in August).
Berries!
After watching an alarming documentary on Catalyst the other night regarding the lack of Iodine in the diets of children in Tibet and also a rising problem here in Australia (more related info), I have been thinking about vitamins, minerals and our family’s diet in general again. Lately I have been exhausted and lulled into complacency, looking for an easy, quick meal option each and every time, and not thinking about the bigger picture. I won’t tell you some of the things we have been consuming - Jamie Oliver would be disgusted. Thinking about the iodine problem I found a book that has been sitting in my bookshelf for the last few years which I have never before picked up. It was a freebie we received when we first subscribed to Choice magazine called “The Choice Guide to Vitamins and Minerals” by Rayner Soothill. (isbn 0-947277-25-0). After realising that we need to add more sea-weed, leafy greens and buy iodised salt (”Two thirds of the world has mandatory salt iodisation - but not Australia.”) I started looking at other parts of the book and thinking about what else we lack as a family. The big one is probably Vitamin C.
Which brings me back to the point - berries…
“Half a punnet of most types of berries provide a full day’s supply of vitamin C and the tiny seeds in berries and an excellent source of fibre. Berries also contain Vitamin E (especially blackberries and blueberries) and folate. But their greatest claim to fame is their high level of antioxidants, which help cells throughout the body stay youthful. Tip: Add a few strawberries or blueberries to your lunchbox as a treat”
-R Stanton, Sunday Life
Luckily Amelia is a huge fan of berries. She will eat an enormous amount of blueberries in one sitting if she can (and then bounce off the walls due to an extreme sugar rush) but of course, there is the same problem that we have with avocados, berries are on the more expensive side of things and are usually used as a special treat. Just recently I bought a box of frozen berries from the supermarket (which seems to be much cheaper than the fresh punnets) and I keep them in the freezer to take out and add to some milk and yoghurt and whizz them into a delicious smoothy. This seems to be a good way to get Amelia to quickly down a healthy hit.
Unfortunately I get a skin (and mouth) reaction to strawberries which is a drag, because I remember them to be delicious and here they are often the cheapest and most readily available berries at the market. Regardless, I still sometimes make a side for dinner party desserts from Jamie Oliver’s The Return of the Naked Chef - Strawberries Marinated in Balsamic Vinegar. I miss out on it, but it’s always a hit. It’s not exactly the most healthy of dishes as it contains 5 tablespoons of sugar to 3 punnets of strawberries, but it’s quite delicious (apparently).
Strawberries Marinated in Balsamic Vinegar
from Return of the Naked Chef - p. 256
2-3 big punnets of strawberries
aprox 5 tablespoons of sugar
10 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
Pinch off the strawberry stalks and place in bowl (personally I slice them before hand too). Scatter generously with sugar. followed by the balsamic vinegar. Serve, scattered with some finely sliced mint or basil leaves.
Jamie serves these on 400g of Mascapone cheese flavoured with vanilla seeds to four people - I have usually served them alongside chocolate torte or something and it goes a lot further.
Again I invite you to add your berry tips, recipes and ideas in my comments section so we can build up a nice little collection of things to do with the 20 healthiest foods.
Previously: Avocados.
Responses
8th November 2005 at 1:26 pm
My mother-in-law makes this delicious spinach and strawberry salad. I’ll have to bug her for the recipie.
I just noticed your splurging sidebar with the bit about buying a piece of artwork for your anniversary–guess what? We do it too!
8th November 2005 at 1:37 pm
My guy makes a fab raspberry smoothy, we often buy them frozen.
Raspberries, yoghurt and a tablespoon of cocoa powder. No additional sugar is needed and it tastes very chocolately!
8th November 2005 at 1:51 pm
I believe that I saw frozen berries for a cheaper price at the Prahran Market a few weeks back - it was in bulk (like a kilogram) but if you are in the area, maybe it’s worth checking out.
Just out of curiosity, does (home-made) jam still have all the nutrition, or does cooking remove the Vitamin C? Because you could berry pick in summer as Lisa suggests, and then make lots of jam to have during the year.
8th November 2005 at 2:05 pm
For us non-Aussies, what’s a punnet?
8th November 2005 at 2:08 pm
here’s a photo of a punnet
http://www.kgfruits.com/images/kgf_public_his_punnet.jpg
8th November 2005 at 2:54 pm
A few weeks ago my girlf and I were at her brother’s place in Canberra for the weekend, and we bought some wonderful strawberries at the local organic market. I suggested that the girlf do them Jamie-style, with balsamic vinegar and suger, which she did. But they tasted AWFUL. Turned out (after she’d got over blaming me for my horrible destructive recipe) that she’d put SALT rather than sugar on the strawberries. Shudder. I still have the taste in my mouth.
8th November 2005 at 3:03 pm
While that sounds totally disgusting, I hope she used Iodised salt!
8th November 2005 at 3:45 pm
We try to keep lots of frozen fruit on hand - especially berries, because the cost of fresh is usally outragous.
Other than whipping them into smoothies, we like to put them in a pie plate and let them slightly defrost during breakfast or dinner. Then they are like a slushy dessert sorbet — only just berries and maybe a little sugar if they are too bitter.
Also, isn’t there another way for you to try to get iodine in your diet? Many Americans actually have too high iodine levels due to the salt (but that could likely be blamed for the high amount of non-home prepared foods we eat too).
8th November 2005 at 5:36 pm
i have fantasties about making blueberry muffins, but the kids refuse point blank to eat them. strawberries are a hit - and we do the frozen berrys in the smoothy thing too. mmm recipes though - how about a tart, custard tart topped with poached berries and rasberry coulis with chocolate cake. my mum used to do strawberrys in liquor -
8th November 2005 at 7:01 pm
A great recipe from a very old BBC Good Food magazine. Low on fat too!
Berry Buttermilk muffins. makes 12
What you need:
400g/14oz plain flour, 175g/60z caster sugar, 1 tbsp baking powder, finely grated zest of 1 lemon, 1/2 tsp salt, 284ml carton buttermilk, 2 eggs (beaten), 85g/30z butter (melted), 250g/90z frozen or fresh blueberries or mixed summer fruits
Preheat the oven to 200c/gas6/fan oven 180c. Butter a 12-hole muffin tin. In a large bowl, combine flour, sudar, baking powder, lemon zest and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk, eggs and butter. Combine, then carefully fold in the berries and spoon the mixture into the tins (fill generously). Bake for about 25 minutes until the muffuns are risen and pale golden. Leave to cool for about 5 minutes before torning onto a wire rack.
Per muffin 253 kcalories, protein 5g, carbohydrate 44g, fat 7g, saturated fat 4g, fibre 1g, added sugar 15g, salt 0,91g.
I, myself, am not a very conscious eater, but I know these are delicious. So; “eet smakkelijk” (Dutch for “good appetite”)!
8th November 2005 at 7:12 pm
My mum called be in a tizz about salt a couple of years ago. She’s seem a local doco (played on tv in Adelaide) proclaiming the importance of iodine. We already do okay with the veg etc, so the only change I made was buying the iodised Saxa salt for cooking. I dont use it alot, but when I do , at least I feel like I’m doing better than I was before 
8th November 2005 at 8:20 pm
In answer to the question about “does (home-made) jam still have all the nutrition, or does cooking remove the Vitamin C?”, I have to say an emphatic yes. Vitamin C is fragile and immediately destroyed on impact with heat. Best eat it fresh in the form of kiwi fruit, oranges, spinach, or strawberries etc.. My favourite strawberry treat is fresh strawberries half-dipped in chocolate. Uh huh, chocolate part isn’t so healthy, but hey…why not try it with nutella or carob?
Another fun fact about Vit C is that our bodies do not have the capacity to store it. If we have it in our system, our bodies will use it and throw out an excess, so you really do need to intake Vit. C foods every day or as much as possible.
Just on the seaweed thing, go sushi. I’ve recently taken to making home-made sushi rolls. It’s fun coz you can stick in any filling you want, including avocado, prawns (for an extra iodine hit!), corn, lettuce, capsicum, anything you want.
My 2yo boy Jack loves it.
8th November 2005 at 8:39 pm
This is one of the best things about the United Kingdom - foraging in hedgerows. The wild berries are devine, and with a little practice you can find all sorts of other edibles. It’s just a shame I’m not expert in identifying mushrooms that are safe to eat.
8th November 2005 at 9:11 pm
I have a similar allergy problem with fruit and over the past few years I’ve had to stop eating apples, cherries, plums, strawberries, pears, apricots and nectarines, however I’ve found that if you have canned fruit or cook the fruit in some way (mm pie) then the allergy stops!
8th November 2005 at 9:19 pm
before you become buried in berries i read today that a cup of usucha,a slightly weaker type of matcha,japanese green tea made from powdered tea leaves, gives you as much vitamin C as a kilogram of oranges.
9th November 2005 at 12:22 am
Cheapest berry tip.
Visit Ontario in August and pick blueberries until your fingers fall of.
9th November 2005 at 1:43 am
I spent this summer just gone (here in the Northern Hemisphere) making Strawberry and Balsamic Vinegar ice-cream. It’s delicious! The recipe is in Stephanie Alexander’s Cook’s Companion
9th November 2005 at 2:51 am
My favorites are blueberries. I love to fold them into pancakes (add at the end to prevent the vitamin C loss), add a handful to cereal, or yogurt. They are wonderful with ice cream (while not the healthiest option) and great with spinach, almonds and a light vinagrette. Yum!
9th November 2005 at 4:34 am
Are you thinking about growing your own berry harvest this year? Highly recommended.
9th November 2005 at 7:25 am
Mmm, we used to grow orange raspberries in the backyard and my mom made raspberry pie. That was always a special treat. Another simple berry thing is in a parfait dish, a layer of blueberries, a layer of Cool Whip, a layer of diced strawberries, a layer of Cool Whip, and a layer of red raspberries. It’s so simple and so delightful and really so pretty, too. Yum.
9th November 2005 at 9:56 am
I make the balsamic strawberries quite alot - but i always use brown sugar which adds a lovely caramel flavour. Try it!!
Cheers
Katrina
9th November 2005 at 4:33 pm
It was my understanding that iodine deficiency occurs mostly in high-altitude areas, or ones where the soil is very old and thus leached of iodine. This should not be a problem in Australia, especially in Victoria, as most of our agricultural areas (ie Werribee) have rich and fertile soil. If you eat local fresh food, you should be fine. Iodised salt is NOT necessary!
9th November 2005 at 9:29 pm
I saw that doco too and it was really concerning - and brilliant work by the doctor trying to publicise this huge public health problem. Apparently a very high percentage of Australian children who were tested did not have sufficient iodine levels. So given that my kiddie will not eat seafood or seaweed, (and has a problem with most vegetables) I think a little iodised salt added to cooking is the way to go. I have this terrible vision of the next generation of poor little cretins - the literal term for people born with iodine deficiency.
10th November 2005 at 1:39 am
I don’t have any affiliation with this site, but I’ve used it and I recommend it to everyone:
Check out the Southern Hemisphere version and there are free menus to download.
10th November 2005 at 2:52 am
I love berries and they are abundant in the Pacific Northwest, where I hail from. I have a whole cookbook called “Berries Cookbook,” by Carol Ann Shipman (http://www.hancockhouse.com/products/COO_index.htm), which is great. It has sweet and savory recipes, like blueberry lasagne, salmon with blackberry hollaindaise, strawberry ricotta dip, etc. I enjoy blueberry salsa - just replace tomatoes in your favorite salsa recipe with blueberries; it’s scrumchous.
10th November 2005 at 2:58 am
I forgot to ask if you have cranberries there? They are being touted this year as a big time miracle food!
http://www.wildoats.com/app/henrys/index.php?pageId=100201&title=Health&p=health
My mom friends and I are having a month long salsa recipe contest - we all love salsa and (homemade) chips.
10th November 2005 at 7:15 am
Jessica — typcially even if you have an allergy to a food, once its been cooked or canned the structure of the food has been broken down a bit and your body is able to process better.
(And I only know this because my baby is allergic to over 150 foods and we’ve had to become “experts” on food allergies).
10th November 2005 at 8:11 am
thanks for the advertising! Today I receive so many mails from Australia! 
10th November 2005 at 8:20 am
I made berry granita for dessert the other night…nice and light and perfect for summer! In a nutshell, strawberries blended up with fresh OJ, Early Grey tea and a bit of suggar. Freeze for 2 hours and then mush up every 30 mins for another hour or so after that so it doesnt set hard. Serve layers of granita alternating with layers of rasberries (or any berry really!)
10th November 2005 at 12:00 pm
My dad has had allergies to raw fruits for a long time. Recently he discovered that if he microwaves the fruit for 30 seconds or a minute, that is enough to stop the allergic reaction.
11th November 2005 at 12:16 pm
Replace the apples in an Apple Crumble recipe with blueberries… DIVINE!!
13th November 2005 at 8:42 pm
My mother always sprinkled a little pepper on her strawberries, to accentuate the flavour. It makes the strawberries taste more strawberry-ish.
As I grew up, I joined the team and have been spreading the pepper+strawberry gospel far and wide. Everyone who tries it, no matter how squeemish, comes around in the end. Haven’t yet managed to get folks eating tomato and peanutbutter sandwiches (another of my mother’s other taste sensations) but I live in hope.
Go on Claire, I’d say a little rash is something worth suffering through for a delicious punnet of strawberries and pepper.
14th November 2005 at 7:29 am
Strawberry Bread
(I found this recipe in a Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine.)
5 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. unsalted butter at room temp. (Plus a bit more for pan)
1 pint strawberries, rinsed, hulled, quartered and mashed with fork
1&3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan. In a small saucepan, bring strawberries to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt; set aside. With an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar, and eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture alternately with 1/3 cup water, beginning and ending with flour. Fold in strawberries.
Scrape batter into pan, smoothing top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour (tent with foil after 45 minutes if top is getting too dark). Cool in pan 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges and invert onto a rack. Reinvert and cool completely.
Serve with cream cheese or cream of your choice.
8th November 2005 at 1:22 pm
I used to have a similar sounding allergy to avocados. After reading all the tempting guacamole talk on your last good food post, I just HAD to try it…no allergy!
You should give the strawb a try (if you haven’t allready), they’re too good to miss out on!
In summer berry picking is a bargain way to stock up.