Blackberries Selection Information | Nutritional Information | Tips & Trivia
Scientific Binomial Name: Rubus fruticosus
Eat fresh, jams, baking, preserves, pies and fruit salads.
Also called Marionberries (but they are really a separate), blackberries are extremely perishable and should be handled with care. Good-quality berries will be fairly firm and clean with a deep purple to black color.
Avoid berries that still have their caps (stems) attached or that are green or multi-colored (red or green). These berries are not ripe and will not develop full flavor.
Overripe berries will be soft, dull-colored and may leak juice.
Unwashed, refrigerated Blackberries will keep for only a few days to a week. Your best bet is to freeze them or can them in preserves. Just make sure you wait to wash them right before using!
After picking, berries will get more juicy, but their sugar content does not increase much.
Blackberries are very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. They're also a good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Folate, Magnesium, Potassium and Copper, and a great source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Manganese.
Amount per serving
Buy blackberries when they are at their peak supply (and quality) locally - and freeze. Freeze in a single layer on a cookie sheet and then put into a container and remove just what you need for your morning yogurt or juicing.
The ancient Greeks used Blackberries as a cure for mouth and throat diseases and for preventing gout.
Blackberry leaves were once used as a hair dye. The English herbalist, Nicholas Culpeper, advised boiling Blackberry leaves in a lye solution to "maketh the hair black".
Blackberry tea was said to be a cure for dysentery during the Civil War. During outbreaks of dysentery, temporary truces were declared to allow both Union and Confederate soldiers to "go blackberrying" to forgage for blackberries to ward off the disease.
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