Oh Those Ruby-Red Strawberries!

This is the third berry post in the WeeMunch Summer Berry Series (see the first Salmon Berry post, or the most recent Huckleberry post).


Now it is time to honour the strawberry. Our strawberries have been ripening the past two weeks and are absolutely delicious! There's nothing quite like a fresh-picked strawberry from a sun-ripened vine. I prefer them straight-up, unadulterated and still warm from the sun.

Strawberries, particularly organically grown ones, are rich in vitamin C and higher in iron and potassium than other berries. Strawberries, like other berries, are famous in the phytonutrient world as a rich source of compounds called phenols. One family of those phenols is called anthocyanin, the water-soluble plant pigments responsible not only for the blue, purple, and red color of berries, but also for many of their health benefits—a heart-protective, an anti-cancer, and an anti-inflammatory fruit, all rolled into one.*

Choosing/Storing your strawberries:

Store-bought prepared baby foods containing berries are devoid of healthy anthocyanins and other nutrients such as Vitamin C that are only measurable in fresh and whole, frozen berries, but not in their processed counterparts.

A study from the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found anthocyanins, among other beneficial nutrients, were almost undetectable in canned foods, bread, cereals, and baby foods containing berries, even in baby foods prepared from fruits high in anthocyanins such as blueberries.*

So choose fresh, raw as much as possible and try to retain their nutrients by freezing them whole in a well-sealed glass jar or tupperware container if you are not consuming them within a day or two of picking.

Creative ways to prepare your fresh strawberries:

1. Homemade strawberry slushies—just add ice and maple syrup if they’re a little tart (mom can always sneak a little tequila in hers and make it a margarita—nobody will tell).

2. A great ice-cream accompaniment—served raw or cooked, like many other berries.


3. Strawberry tarts or shortcake. Alter your favourite recipe and use fine-ground spelt flour and unrefined sugar, for a much healthier version, instead of white flour and white sugar.

4. Strawberry purée for your baby. Note: strawberries should not be introduced in your baby’s first year if you are at all concerned about their status as a common allergen.


5. Smoothie or Lassi, a traditional drink from India. Plain organic yogourt and strawberries are nice blended together as a smoothie. To make a Lassi, add yogourt, strawberries, ice, a bit of lime juice and/or rosewater.

*Source Cited