Summer berries are arriving at our Farmers’ Markets. Ripe red strawberries and plumb blueberries are loaded with cool, juicy taste. These berries are packed with antioxidants that fight disease and are good for a healthy heart. But berries have a short growing season so grab them while you can. Yum, yum, yum!

4th of July Picnics and Family gatherings are the best ways to enjoy delicious berries. Add them to any summer dish for festive colors and sweetness, or just toss some juicy berries in your mouth to cool down.

Red, White, and Blue berry your meals.

For breakfast or a snack, energize yourself with a refreshing mix of strawberries, blueberries, and low-fat vanilla yogurt. Yogurt adds sweetness without extra calories and helps your digestion.  Freeze blueberries for an icy snack. Add berries to any salad or smoothie or pop them in your mouth for a refreshing treat.

Bring some zing to your picnic with a Red, White, and Blue salsa.

Mix in a large bowl:

• 1 cup fresh blueberries and 1 cup of diced strawberries.

• 1 cup diced jicama or water chestnuts.

• 1/3 cup cilantro

• ¼ cup finely chopped onion.

• 2 Tablespoons finely chopped stemmed, and seeded jalapeno pepper, depending on your spicy taste.

• Juice from a large lime

Desserts? OH, the choices! Strawberry or blueberry shortcake is an easy winner:  Toss a few cups of berries with a little sugar to bring out the juice. Let them sit for an hour. Put them on biscuits, cake, ice cream or lemon sherbet. Try Blueberry Cobbler or Fresh Strawberry Pie for dessert.

Any way you combine these berries, it’s a treat for your mouth and a boost for your body’s health.

Happy 4th of July and ENJOY!

Berry Delicious

RECIPE: “Berry” Delicious Desserts

Fresh Strawberry Pie

A No-Bake pie with fresh uncooked strawberries.  Great for hot weather when you don’t want to use the oven a lot.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 cups of strawberries (3-4 pints), stems removed

• ½ cup sugar

• 2 Tablespoons corn starch

• Water

• 9-inch baked pastry shell for bottom pie crust

TO MAKE:

• Prepare/bake pastry shell and cool

• Mash up 2 cups of strawberries and add enough water to make 1 ½ cups of liquid

• Place in a saucepan with corn starch and sugar

• Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture thicken, about 5 minutes or less. Cool slightly

• Put remaining strawberries in pastry shell and pour on the cooked strawberries. Chill

Blueberry Cobbler

Cobblers are fruit with a  biscuit or cake topping. Great for dessert with ice cream.

How to make: Watch Video

TIPS:  Berries for Today and Tomorrow

How to Keep Delicious

• Store blueberries and strawberries in the fridge without washing.  Wash them just before using and let dry on a paper towel

• Blueberries like to be frozen separately so you can get as many or as few as you feel like from the freezer. Lay them on a cookie sheet and freeze.  Put frozen berries in a plastic zip-lock bag for storage. On a hot day, let a few melt in your mouth or save them and remember the taste of summer in the winter.

More Ways to Eat NOW

• Sprinkle fresh berries on your cereal for a real morning treat and energy boost

• 4th of July: Strawberries, blueberries and anything white, like bananas, ice cream, yogurt, even cheese. Layer in a dish, put on toothpicks for mini-rockets, make a flag on a cake, have fun.

Super Smoothies

Made with strawberries, blueberries and bananas.  No sugar needed. Try them for a summer breakfast or a snack

• Use either milk or fat-free yogurt or both. Along with a delicious refreshing taste, you get calcium for your bones and antioxidants to keep you healthy.

• For a frozen smoothie: Add 3-4 ice cubes to the blender to make a frozen snack.

• Try freezing yogurt in an ice cube tray. Store the cubes in plastic bags.  Toss into your smoothies instead of ice cubes.