Berry Interesting

This is the time of year that you can grab your pail or bucket and pick your own berries. Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries and Strawberries are all available at ‘u-pick-um’ farms throughout the U.S.

Flowers to Eat has a new arrangement called Oh! Raspberry which includes raspberries and blueberries, as well as strawberries, into its design. It is unique in this way with these fruits that are known for their healthy characteristics.

Raspberries are an excellent source of fiber, manganese and vitamin C. They are a good source of vitamin B2, folate, niacin, magnesium, potassium and copper. In addition, they contain significant amounts of the anti-cancer phytochemical ellagic acid.
Raspberries possess almost 50% higher antioxidant activity than strawberries, three times that of kiwis, and ten times the antioxidant activity of tomatoes, shows research conducted in the Netherlands and published in the journal BioFactors.

Blueberries are super nutritious too. There are only 80 delicious calories per cup and virtually no fat. A serving contains almost 25% of the recommended daily amount of Vitamin C. They are also a good source of Manganese, dietary fiber and antioxidents.

And they make a great parfait! See the June 11 recipe in our blog.

According to wisegeek.com, there are over 20 different types of unusual berries in North America alone. This does not include many fruits that have the name "berry" but actually do not belong to the same family, such as is the case of strawberries, blackberries raspberries, and boysenberries. These four fruits, which are sometimes considered part of the group of unusual berries, are actually aggregate fruits.

Let’s see how well you know these unusual berries. See if you can match the berry name with the interesting fact about it in the right column:

1. Seaberries
2. Mulberries
3. Tayberries
4. Bumbleberry
5. Wolfberry
6. Boysenberry

A. Mixture of berries combined in recipes
B. Used in traditional Chinese Medicine to improve eyesight and liver function
C. Soft, semi-sweet and fragile in nature; seldom found in grocery stores
D. Created as a cross between loganberries, blackberries, & raspberries that are characterized by a soft center with not seeds
E. Grow in cold weather and popular in tea in Russia
F. Hybrid berry created by cross-breeding a blackberry and a raspberry originating in Scotland

(Answers to the quiz are posted at the bottom of the Blueberry Parfait recipe in our previous blog entry)

Blueberry Parfait

Now that berry season is here, try this yummy parfait from the August, 2009 issue of "Self Magazine"!

BERRY PARFAIT
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
• 2 cups skim milk
• Juice and zest of 3 lemons, divided
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 pint blueberries
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
PREPARATION
1. Whisk milk, juice and zest of 2 lemons, sugar and cornstarch in a pot over medium heat until mixture thickens, 3 to 4 minutes. Let cool 2 minutes. Whisk in yogurt. Cook blueberries, juice and zest of remaining lemon, and sugar in another pot over medium heat, mashing until a chunky sauce forms, 2 to 3 minutes. Divide graham cracker crumbs and sauce among 4 glasses; top each with 1/2 cup yogurt pudding. Chill 1 hour.
The skinny
243 calories per serving, 1.7 g fat (0.4 g saturated), 51.8 g carbs, 2.6 g fiber, 7.5 g protein

Answers to the Berry Interesting quiz: 1E,2C,3F,4A,5B,6D to be coming in our next blog

Thank you Small Business Commerce Association!

We just had to share the good news! Thank you friends and customers for your continued enjoyment of our products. We appreciate each and everyone of you.

The Small Business Commerce Association (SBCA) is pleased to announce that Flowers To Eat has been selected for the 2009 Best of Business Award in the Flowers, fresh category.

The SBCA Best of Business Award Program recognizes the best of small businesses throughout the country. Using consumer feedback and other research, the SBCA identifies companies that we believe have demonstrated what makes small businesses a vital part of the American economy. The selection committee chooses the award winners from nominees based off information taken from monthly surveys administered by the SBCA, a review of consumer rankings, and other consumer reports . Award winners are a valuable asset to their community and exemplify what makes small businesses great.