Archive for the ‘Berries’ Category
Huckleberries and Hmong Farmers
In Spokane County we have a contingent of Homng people who enrich our farmers markets with some of the best produce and flowers. But they also bring us a much more anticipated culinary delight. Gathering huckleberries is a deep tradition in the northwest but in many cases it is the Hmong who are doing the picking and selling now. Most of us are glad too. Picking huckleberries is pretty time consuming work. Huckleberries are a delicious tradition. Buy enough for a pie and ice cream and you’ll see that they are worth every dollar spent. Their flavor is really like nothing else, the taste is hard to describe, so it is best to taste them for yourself.
Huckleberries are just starting to ripen in the mountains of eastern Washington and northern Idaho. You should start to see them at the Market in the next few weeks.
Huckleberries or Blueberries?
by Marie Harrison
Source: Dave’s Garden
In many parts of the United States, blueberries are mistakenly called huckleberries. Some people believe that blueberries are always blue while huckleberries are black or very dark purple. This is erroneous thinking, however, for some blueberries are very dark colored, and some huckleberries are very blue. One sure way to tell is to examine the seeds. Blueberries have many small, tiny, soft seeds, while huckleberries have ten large, crunchy seeds.
Both huckleberries (Gaylussacia) and blueberries (Vaccinium) belong to the heath family (Ericaceae). About 50 species have been identified. The majority of them are native to South America, while seven or eight species are native to the eastern United States. While many of the western states claim to have huckleberries, what they really have are members of the closely related Vaccinium genus.
Generally speaking, leaves of the Gaylussacia species are alternate, and the undersides have yellow resin dots that can be seen with a hand lens. This resin causes the leaves to be somewhat sticky. Some species are evergreen while others are deciduous.
Flowers are white to pink and urn or bell-shaped, and appear in spring in small axillary clusters. Fruits are small, round, shiny berrylike drupes that ripen in late summer. Shrubs are multi-stemmed, slender, and arise from underground rhizomes.
Kinds of Huckleberry
Some confusion surrounds the identity of the North American native species. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) recognizes only seven native species, while eight are listed on the USDA Plants Database. One listed on the GRIN site is native to South America (Gaylussacia buxifolia). Gaylussacia tomentosa is listed by USDA, but not by GRIN. Also, USDA recognizes G. nana (Confederate huckleberry), while GRIN lists it as a variety of G. frondosa.
Black huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata) seems to be the species that is most widely distributed in North America. Its range covers the eastern half of the United States and Canada. Flowers of this deciduous species are dark pink to red. Individual plants grow from 1 to 3 feet tall, but it forms colonies so that one plant is hard to distinguish from another. It thrives in dry woods and forests in rocky, sandy soil.
Box huckleberry (Gaylussacia brachycera) has a much smaller range. It is found on hills and mountains from Pennsylvania to Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. This dwarf, evergreen shrub forms large colonies. It is reported that one colony in Perry County, Pennsylvania, is about a mile long and is over 12,000 years old. Unfortunately, the species is at moderate risk of extinction due to overtopping by fast-growing invasive species, erosion following logging operations, natural plant succession resulting in a loss of habitat, and irresponsible development as humans encroach on its range.
The dwarf huckleberry (G. dumosa) is a wetland species that is threatened in parts of its range. It can be distinguished from other huckleberries because fruits are foliaceous (interspersed with small leaves), and each full-sized leaf has a tiny pointed tip. Dwarf huckleberry grows from 8 to 24 inches tall and is found in most of the states near the eastern seaboard.
A few of the species are restricted to the southern United States. Wooly huckleberry (G. mosieri), Confederate huckleberry (G. nana), hairytwig huckleberry (G. tomentosa), and bear huckleberry (G. ursina) are denizens of the Deep South. Bear huckleberry, for instance, is a deciduous, colony-forming shrub found only in Tennessee, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. Wooly huckleberry is a bit more widespread and can be found in acid bogs, pitcher plant communities, and streamside baygall communities in Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. Confederate huckleberry, found only in Florida, Alabama, and Georgia, has the narrowest range of all.
Importance to Wildlife
Huckleberries can be found growing wild in most of the eastern United States. While they are not as popular as the true blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) for human consumption, they are important to wildlife. Many songbirds as well as ruffed grouse, bobwhite quail, and turkey consume the fruits. Small mammals also eat the fruit, and deer browse the twigs and foliage. Some butterflies seek them out as larval host plants, and several types of bees gather nectar and serve as pollinating agents. In addition, they are wonderful native plants that add to the diversity of our woods and landscapes.
Red Raspberry: Rich in Color, Flavor, and Medicinal Value
The red raspberry bush (Rubus idaeus) is a friend of many gardeners. Even though it’s densely covered with numerous small prickles, it produces an abundance of luscious berries. While the plant is indigenous to Europe and Asia, it’s now cultivated in gardens throughout the temperate regions of North America. Typically the bush grows to a height of about four to five feet and is easily maintained.
Red raspberries are a popular fruit commonly used in fruit juices, fruit salads, jams and preserves, fruit syrups, breakfast bars, tarts, and other foodstuffs. Red raspberries also contain many health-promoting properties.
The versatile red raspberry, along with the strawberry and blackberry, is loaded with vitamin C and many potent phenolic antioxidants, such as flavonoids, tannins, and anthocyanin pigments. The anthocyanins in the berries have anti-inflammatory activity. The berries also exhibit antiviral and antibacterial activity against a number of viruses and bacteria.
Raspberries and other edible berries strongly impair angiogenesis–the vascularization (abnormal or excessive formation) of tumors needed to sustain their growth. Raspberry fruit extracts have shown the ability to significantly inhibit human liver, breast, and cervical cancer cells.
Healing Leaves
Do any other parts of the raspberry bush contain health-promoting properties? Absolutely. The pale-green leaves of the raspberry bush, which boast a somewhat harsh and bitter flavor, have long been valued for their medicinal power. A tea made from the leaves of raspberry has been used for centuries as a folk medicine to treat wounds, colic pain, upper respiratory disorders, and difficulties in childbirth.
Raspberry leaf tea is also valued for the treatment of diarrhea. The tea can be prepared by pouring a cup of boiling water over one to two teaspoons of finely cut raspberry leaves and steeping for ten minutes. A cup of raspberry leaf tea can be drunk five or six times a day to control diarrhea. A physician should be consulted, however, when the diarrhea persists beyond two days.
Tannins to the Rescue
Why is raspberry leaf tea an effective remedy for treating diarrhea? Because of its rich content (13 to 15 percent) of tannins. These polyphenolics tend to stop diarrhea by their astringent properties, which help reduce intestinal inflammation.
Raspberry leaf tea may also be used effectively as a mouthwash for sore throat or inflammation of the mouth. The dried leaves or dried root bark of the blackberry plant and the dried leaves and dried fruit of blueberries are also highly recommended to arrest simple diarrhea. Blackberries and blueberries are also rich in tannins.
Tannins that are applied to the mucous membranes or to an abrasion can cause a decrease in vascular permeability and have an anti-inflammatory effect. These effects explain why tannin-rich raspberry leaves are used as a wound treatment, a mouthwash, and a gargle.
But beware. The tannins in raspberry leaves could have some negative consequences. The high content of tannins in raspberry leaves may impair the absorption of dietary minerals, such as calcium, iron, and magnesium. In addition, the absorption of a variety of commonly used drugs, such as sedatives, tranquilizers, and antidepressants, may be impaired.
Help During Childbirth?
Today the use of raspberry leaf tea is fairly popular to facilitate childbirth and lessen labor pains. Raspberry leaf extract apparently contains a component that stimulates contractions of the smooth muscle in the uterine wall.
Researchers in Australia analyzed the safety and effectiveness of raspberry leaf tablets on the duration of labor. In the study of pregnant women, they could not identify any adverse effects for either the mothers or their babies. They did find that women who ingested raspberry leaf might be less likely to receive a Cesarean section, and observed a 35 percent reduction in forceps deliveries for women using raspberry leaf, compared to other women.
In another double-blind, randomized trial, the use of raspberry leaf tablets by women in their last month of pregnancy was associated with a significant shortening of stage-two labor, but not of stage one.
Recently a national survey of 500 certified nurse-midwives was conducted to determine what herbal preparations were being used to stimulate labor. Of the midwives who used herbal preparations, 63 percent used red raspberry leaf, 93 percent used castor oil, and 60 percent used evening primrose oil.
Those recommending the herbal preparations to stimulate labor did so because they felt they were a natural remedy. The most common reason given for not using herbal preparations was the lack of research or experience with the safety of these substances.
The practice of using raspberry leaf tea to facilitate childbirth is by no means universally accepted. More research is needed to determine the safety and effectiveness of raspberry leaf extract. Raspberry leaf should not be taken during pregnancy except under proper medical supervision.
Raspberry leaf, along with peppermint or chamomile, is often recommended for morning sickness. However, there is a dearth of information related to the safety of these substances in pregnancy; hence, they should be used with great caution.
Raspberry leaf is normally considered safe when it is consumed in medicinal amounts. Atypical dose for raspberry leaf would be about four to six 0.5g capsules per day. There is, at this time, insufficient reliable evidence available concerning the safety of use of raspberry leaf during pregnancy.
Remember:
Herbal products and dietary supplements can have pharmacological effects, may produce adverse reactions in some people, and could interact with over-the-counter and prescription medications you may take. Discuss with your physician your decision to use any herbal product. Anything mentioned in this article is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, or treat any ailment.
Winston Y. Craig is professor of nutrition at Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Review and Herald Publishing Association
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
Strawberries: The Superfruit That Lowers Bad Cholesterol and Promotes Good Health
By Ethan Huff
Source: Natural News
The October issue of Nutrition Journal contains a study that reveals the cholesterol-lowering power of strawberries. Women with at least three features of metabolic syndrome were given a daily beverage containing 25 grams of freeze-dried strawberry powder. Following the four-week testing period, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels dropped an average of five and six percent, respectively, and plasma ellagic acid was significantly increased.
Considered to be the most popular berry fruit in the world, the over 600 varieties of strawberries have been enjoyed throughout the world for their delicious flavor and countless uses. As they pertain to health, strawberries are increasingly being recognized by modern medicine as a “superfruit”. Loaded with anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer compounds, strawberries are among the most nutritionally-dense fruits available. Among their many attributes are their powerfully high antioxidant levels and their abundance of flavonoids, polyphenols, phytonutrients, and fiber.
Strawberry phenols have the ability to decrease the activity of the cyclo-oxygenase, or COX enzyme whose hyperactivity causes inflammation. Many people take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin or ibuprofen for pain. These drugs are synthetically designed to be COX-inhibitors; however, strawberries contain natural phenols that serve this same purpose without causing intestinal bleeding like artificial drugs do.
Among these phenols are anthocyanins, which function as potent antioxidants that protect cell structures from free radical oxygen damage, and ellagitannins, which have been found in studies to decrease rates of cancer death. The unique blend of beneficial compounds contained within strawberries has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells with no specific correlation to antioxidant levels, indicating the idiosyncratic healing composition of strawberries in their whole, complete form.
Strawberries and other fruits rich in vitamin C have been shown in studies to help prevent age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). One such study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology revealed that consuming three or more servings of fruit a day reduces the risk of developing ARMD by more than 36%.
Strawberries have been recognized as a type of “superfruit” because of their high levels of B vitamins as well as vitamin C, manganese, potassium, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin K, magnesium, copper, folate, and riboflavin. The distinct synergy of these nutrients is what constitutes the strawberry as a powerful healing food that is both delicious and plentiful year round.
Though obvious to most, it is important to note that only fresh and frozen strawberries contain the myriad of beneficial compounds that contribute to health and wellness, including the lowering of bad cholesterol. Processed fruit typically loses most if not all of the nutritional content that it originally possessed, so it is important to make this distinction when identifying healthy foods.
When selecting strawberries, also be sure to choose organically-grown varieties. Conventional strawberries have been found to be among the worst fruits for pesticide contamination and residue, prompting the Environmental Working Group to suggest that consumers avoid purchasing strawberries and several other fruits and vegetables unless organically-grown or raised without the use of pesticides.
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