Berries are among the oldest fruits eaten by humans. In prehistoric times, hunter-gatherers already picked berries from plants they encountered on their way. There are many types of berries in the world. From distinctly sour berries to deliciously sweet berries. Berries are often used as the basis for a sauce that can be served over a dessert. Berries are an ideal snack fruit. You can make your own jam from these small fruits. NB! This article is written from the personal view of the author and may contain information that is not scientifically substantiated and/or in line with the general view.

Contents:

• Types of berries
• The berry is native to the Netherlands
• Edible rowan
• Extending the shelf life of berries
• Blackcurrant superberry
• Medicinal power of the berries
• Berries against diabetes
• Berries against arteriosclerosis
• Berries against diarrhea
• Commercial cultivation
• Tea from dried currant bush leaves
• Berry bush in vegetable garden
• Make your own berry sauce

Types of berries

There are different types of berries such as red currant, black currant, white currant, blueberry, American blueberry, acai berry, gooseberry, goji berries and cranberry. Berries are super healthy. You don’t have to get healthy products from far away, sometimes they are just in the garden. Berries are an ideal snack fruit and you can never have too many because then you can easily make jam that you can enjoy the rest of the year.

The berry is native to the Netherlands

Berry bushes are found throughout Europe. In the Netherlands you have red currants, black currants and gooseberries as native plants. Nowadays the cranberry also grows wild on Terschelling. Cranberries are native to North America. In 1839 a barrel washed up on the beach of Terschelling. Beachcombers opened it and saw an unknown type of berry. He doesn’t eat what the farmer doesn’t know, so the berries were dumped in the dunes. There, a large colony of berry bushes grew from the seeds. Nowadays, cranberries from Terschelling are a delicacy.

Edible rowan

The rowan is also a type of berry that can be eaten. In the Netherlands and parts of Germany, it was long thought that rowan berries were poisonous, but in Bavaria and England these berries were simply eaten. In Bavaria, a traditional alcoholic drink is brewed from it.

Extending the shelf life of berries

In the days before supermarkets, people had various reasons for cherishing berry bushes. The fruits can be eaten directly, but can also be dried or prepared into jam and wine. This extended the shelf life until the next berry season. The leaves are also used to make tea drinks.Blackcurrant / Source: Jerzy Opioa, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA-3.0)

Blackcurrant superberry

Of all the currant types, the blackcurrant is probably the healthiest. That doesn’t mean you should ignore the other berries. Variety is the key to a healthy diet. Blackcurrants contain the most anthocyanides. These are important phytonutrients that have a strong antioxidant effect. Blackcurrants are healthier than the very expensive dried goji berries because they contain more nutrients. Goji berries are also super healthy and have other benefits; These berries are sold dried so you can enjoy them all year round. Fresh blackcurrants are very seasonal.

Medicinal power of the berries

Every berry is super healthy. There are many antioxidants in berries in the form of vitamins A, C and E and as phytonutrients. They destroy free radicals in the body. Free radicals are substances that cause cell damage and DNA damage, which can cause various diseases such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Berries help prevent all these diseases and there is no harm in eating them if you already have one of these diseases, although scientists do not yet admit that berries have medicinal properties once a disease has developed. Scientists do recognize the fact that berries have a preventive effect against diseases.

Berries against diabetes

All berries work against diabetes, not only because of the many antioxidants but also because they do not increase the sugar level in the blood. There are a lot of fibers in berries. These ensure that the energy is absorbed very evenly into the blood.

Berries against arteriosclerosis

Berries ensure that no cholesterol can oxidize on the walls of the blood vessels. This helps the blood flow and prevents harmful plaque. This also increases the risk of a heart attack or cerebral infarction. These are diseases in which the arteries become clogged. Berries are therefore good against stroke and cardiovascular disease.

Berries against diarrhea

Berries have been used for thousands of years in Europe against diarrhea. The bactericidal effect of the many phytonutrients such as tannins in berries contributes to this.

Commercial cultivation

Berries don’t just grow in the wild and in vegetable gardens; they are widely grown commercially worldwide. The berry harvest is completely automated. A harvest truck drives through the field where there are berry bushes and it automatically picks the berries from the bushes. In some countries where it is slightly colder, such as the Netherlands, berry bushes are grown in a plastic tunnel or in greenhouses. In this way the harvest season is extended somewhat and the berry bush ultimately has a higher yield.

Tea from dried currant bush leaves

You can dry the leaves, mix them with other leaves, seeds and herbs and make your own herbal tea. Tea can be made from the dried leaves of both red and black currants. If you want to use this herbal tea yourself, it is useful to pick quite a few leaves, dry them well and store them in a tightly sealed container. Currant leaf tea works well against rheumatism and gout. The tea is used to disinfect the mouth naturally. For this purpose, you can gargle with the lukewarm tea three times a day. In this way it helps to fight throat infections. The tea can be used to make a compress. Wet a cloth with the tea and place it on a poorly healing wound. The wound then heals faster and is disinfected.

Berry bush in vegetable garden

A berry bush in the garden or vegetable garden requires very little maintenance. The berry plant is assured of an annual excellent yield of delicious, nutritious berries. Watching the berries grow is an educational experience for children. It gives an impression of how long it takes to grow food. A berry bush would certainly not look out of place in a school vegetable garden because of its educational value.

Make your own berry sauce

You can make a sauce by sifting pureed berries to separate the seeds. There are two ways. You can mix the pureed berries with honey, or you can boil and thicken berries with an equivalent amount of sugar. Both ways of making a berry sauce produce a sauce that can be kept for several months in a tightly sealed, clean bottle. It is recommended to boil the bottle or glass jar beforehand so that there are no bacteria left in it. For quick work, it is better to make a little berry sauce with honey, just enough for one dessert.

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