5 Days of Fruit: Berries

It's Day 3 of 5 Days of Fruit and today's feature is berries. Browse through our picks below for all you ever wanted to know about berries!

Strawberries

  • Selection: The smaller, the sweeter. Choose bright red berries with their caps intact. Caps should be green and not browning or dry. Avoid moldy or shriveled berries. Check the underside of the container for indication of rotting berries.

  • Storage: Strawberries are better eaten as soon as possible, but they may be stored in the refrigerator on a paper towel in a covered container for up to 3 days. Another viable option is to freeze them. Wash, dry, and remove the caps. Store in a zip-top bag for up to 6 months.

  • Slicing: You obviously want to remove the green top but other than that, the slicing's up to you. One pretty way to slice a strawberry is to place it cap-side-down, then cut 1/4-inch slices downward.

  • Fun Fact: The French paved the way for strawberry cultivation when Cartier, the French explorer, brought them back to France from Quebec in 1534. Louis XIV loved strawberries so much that he held a poetry contest on its merits.




Blueberries
  • Selection: Pick berries that are completely blue and have a shimmery silver coating, which serves as a natural protectant. Avoid soft, watery, or moldy berries.

  • Storage: Blueberries must be ripe when purchased as they will not ripen after being picked. Keep blueberries in the fridge, unwashed and covered with clear wrap, for up to two weeks. Water on fresh blueberries speeds up deterioration. Avoid berries under mist sprays in the supermarket. Unwashed, fresh blueberries may also be frozen for up to a year.

  • Fun Fact: Fresh blueberries are in season from June through August, but may also be found canned, dried, and pureed year round.



Brambles: Aggregate fruits that are composed of many smaller fruits called drupes, such as raspberries and blackberries.

Raspberries
  • Selection: Raspberries should be plump, dry, and firm. They can be red, yellow, apricot, black, or purple, but should be uniform throughout the container. Avoid stained containers.

  • Storage: Can be refrigerated for up to two days.

  • Fun Fact: Red raspberries peak June through September, but are available year round. Yellow raspberries peak June to October, and black raspberries are only peaked in July.

Blackberries
  • Selection: Should be a dark purple, almost black, and soft.

  • Storage: Should be eaten as soon as possible, but may be kept in the fridge for up to three days.

  • Fun fact: Blackberries often get confused for black raspberries, but raspberries have a hollow center while blackberries have a greenish-white core.




Miss a post? Catch up for the week:
Monday: Tropical Fruit
Tuesday: Orchard Fruit
Wednesday: Berries (above)
Thursday: Citrus Fruit
Friday: Melons

Nola Solomon
We are happy to have Nola Solomon on board as an intern for FunnySpoon.com. As a French-American, she offers unique culinary insight on how to enjoy your food and efficiently plan for a hectic schedule. Give her recipes and tips a try!

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