Berries burst with nutrition and fight disease...

Think summer, think red and purple; think nutritious berries, from the familiar strawberry, blueberry and raspberry to the less common boysenberry, huckleberry and elderberry. All of them offer a variety of nutritional benefits, and most of these juicy, soft summer fruits are at their peak.

Some of the best places to find these luscious treats are at local farmers' markets, roadside stands and berry farms. Of course, your local supermarket will be bursting with brightly colored fruits and berries this time of year, too.

One serving of raspberries (1 cup) provides: An excellent source of vitamin C (40% of your Daily Value. 10% of your Daily Value of Folic Acid (Folate). A fat-free, sodium-free, cholesterol-free delicious treat. A high source of fiber (8 grams, or 32% of your Daily Value). Only 50 calories per serving.

One cup of raspberries has 32% of the dietary fiber our bodies need every day. Raspberries also are high in vitamin C; one cup contains 40% of the vitamin C we need in a day! All this and low glycemic, and low carb!

One serving of Blueberries (1/2 cup or 70 gm) provides: A terrific source of Vitamin C. Fat-free, cholesterol-free, sodium-free, low carb (7 net carbs per serving) tasty treat. Only 40 calories per serving!

One serving of Blackberries (one cup or 140 gm) provides: An excellent source of Vitamin C (one serving has 50% of your Daily Value). A good source of folate, with 10% of your Daily Value. (Folic Acid, from folate, has been proven to reduce birth defects). A high source of fiber (6 grams, or 22% of your Daily Value). A good source of Potassium, Calcium, and Iron.A low-fat, sodium-free, cholesterol-free fruit. Only 60 calories per serving.

What are the best ways to store and handle berries?

Berries are very perishable. Proper handling is easy and will help to insure that your berries remain fresh and delicious. Always refrigerate your berries immediately. Temperatures between 34 degrees F and 38 degrees F are best, but be sure not to freeze them! (Fresh berries are very sensitive to freeze damage). Remember a general rule, for every hour your berries stay out of refrigeration, you lose a whole days shelf life!

Do not wash your berries until you are ready to prepare and eat them. Moisture will hasten decay of your berries, so keep them dry and cold in storage.

Shelf life varies between berries, however under ideal conditions, strawberries and blueberries should keep for 2-5 days in your refrigerator, raspberries and blackberries should keep for 1-3 days. For best results, consume your berries as soon after purchase as possible.

How did strawberries get their name?

There are many explanations about how this luscious fruit became known as the strawberry. The most common is that children in England during the nineteenth century threaded the berries onto straw and offered them for sale. Another theory is that the name was derived from the nineteenth-century practice of placing straw around the growing berry plants to protect the ripening fruit.

The explanation which is widely thought to be correct is that the name originated a thousand years ago because of the plant's production of runners which spread outward from the plant. Thus, the word strawberry was derived from the Anglo-Saxon verb to strew (spread) and so the fruit became known as streabergan to the Anglo-Saxons and later, straberry, streberie, straibery, strauberry, and finally, strawberry to the English.