13 Aug Soft fruit recipes and nutritional benefits

Just for clarification so we are all thinking about the same thing; what are soft fruits?

These start with the more traditional ones that we know and love from pick your own soft fruit farms and our own gardens to others slightly more exotic:

• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Red Currants
• Black Currants
• Zante Currants
• Gooseberries
• Rhubarb
• Goji Berries
• Kiwi Fruit
• Cranberries
• Figs
• Honey berry
• Mulberry
• Apples
• Peaches

the list can go on but we think we’ve covered most here…

Soft fruit recipe ideas

Seasonal Soft Fruit Recipes:

Feature recipes that highlight the best of each soft fruit in its respective season. For example, strawberry shortcake in spring, raspberry jam in summer, or a blackberry crumble in autumn.

Soft Fruit Desserts:

We aren’t offering full recipes here, just some thoughts to help you on the way.

• Summer Raspberry trifle
• Apple & Blackberry pie
• Blackberry Cheesecake
• Confit of Redcurrants
• Blackcurrant ice cream
• Gooseberry fool yoghurt
• Meringue and Summer fruits
• Mascarpone and Summer fruit puree

Soft Fruit Savoury Dishes:

• Power bowls (A mix of salad, fruits and meats)
• Grilled chicken with mixed berries
• Tenderloin pork with fruit sauce
• Roasted grape chicken
• Savoury apple tart
• Sausage and apple pie
• Watermelon & Feta salad (there are dozens of options for salad + soft fruit)

Soft Fruit Preserves and Jams:

Firstly, what’s the difference between a preserve and a jam? A preserve has the whole or large pieces of fruit whereas a jam has mashed fruit in.

Pretty much any fruit can be made into a jam but these are our favourites:

• Plum jam
• Rhubarb and vanilla jam
• Summer berry jam
• Damson jam
• Rhubarb and ginger jam
• Gooseberry jam
• Cherry jam
• Blackberry jam

For short-term storage, once open, refrigerate the jam but for longer-term storage go for a canning method.

Cocktails and Drinks with Soft Fruits:

Mocktails as well as cocktails can ensure everyone has a taste (and drink responsibly)

• Strawberry daiquiris
• Lemon daiquiris
• Margaritas – peach, pineapple, blueberry & watermelon
• Blueberry gin & tonic
• Orange crush
• Appletini
• Orange whisky sour
• Red sangria
• Peach & raspberry gin & tonic
• Frozen strawberry gin

Nutritional Benefits of Soft Fruits:

Soft fruits and berries are known to contain high levels of Vitamin C, fibre, antioxidants, and other nutrients which make them a great addition to our diets. Recent studies into the benefits of blueberries in particular,  have shown that children and young adults display improved memory with further studies observing improvements in cognitive control of mood. Blueberries have also been linked to slower rates of cognitive decline and improved working memory as we get older.

Blackberries the super fruits –

There is an ever-increasing demand for blackberries and there’s no surprise why; plant breeding improvements have lead to larger, sweeter and more juicy blackberries than ever before. But, that’s not the only reason, research has indicated that blackberries could boost gut health, helping to ease symptoms of common conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. Phenolics, the natural compounds which give blackberries their distinctive colour and which are associated with their many health benefits.

Soft Fruits for Weight Management:

The following fruits, combined with healthy food choice options, have been shown to aid weight management:

• Grapefruit
• Apples
• Berries
• Stone fruits
• Passion fruit
• Rhubarb
• Kiwi fruit
• Melon
• Oranges
• Bananas
• Avocados

You’ve got your food recipe ideas, you can make your lovely summer drinks and you know which soft fruits can help your general health and weight management so, what are you waiting for, get picking your soft fruits at your local pick-your-own or, your own garden.