aronia berries

Despite their not so appetizing alias, the aronia berry, or choke berry, is actually a superfruit that is both easily accessible and practical for human consumption.  Aronia berries grow naturally in the United States but are becoming a profitable industry as well because of their health benefits.  Insects, animals, and disease are inclined to leave the fruit along, making them easy to grow, care for, and profit from.  The black chokeberry has the highest concentration of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, but red chokeberries are just as tasty.  Despite their namesake and initial bitter, dry flavor, choke berries can be consumed in a variety of ways.  In Eastern Europe, the berries are popular for wine and tea, often combining the aronia with apple to temper its bitterness.  Drying the berries and combining with white tea leaves or other dried fruit produces a unique breakfast tea.  The juice of the aronia berry is not just good for drinks, but also for syrup. Berries and chocolate are a classic dessert, and combining the two in a muffin is even better. These aronia white chocolate muffins sound delicious.  Here’s to flavorful snacks and good health!

Antioxidant Fruits, Benefits of Fruit, Fruit Pictures, Fruit Recipes, Health, Uses of Fruit Andrea Gillespie, aronia berries, black chokeberry, choke berry

Ripe Spring Peaches

Spring is only a few weeks away, and it’s time to start thinking about the planting season ahead. This lush peaches picture inspires an informational post for anyone interested in planting peaches.

Peaches are thought to originate in China and were most likely introduced into the West by the Romans. Today peaches are enjoyed in all parts of the world and can be easily introduced into a small garden. Though farmers’ markets are excellent sources of fresh fruit in the summer, dwarf peach trees can be accommodated in the backyard. They stay small, usually within seven feet in height and require only basic care such as pruning and spraying for pests. Dwarf trees produce fruit sooner after planting than regular peach trees even though the fruits of both are the same size.

The best feature of growing a peach tree in the backyard is direct access to the fruit for canning and for delicious summer treats like peach pie, peach cobbler, and peaches and cream. A great crunchy peach cobbler recipe calls for:

• 2 cups of sliced peaches (15 to 17 oz can)
• 2 cups of sugar divided
• a stick of butter sliced into pieces
• 3/4 cup of milk
• 3/4 cup of all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

The directions are also easy:

1. Preheat the oven to 350

2. In a 11×7 inch pan, place butter. Place the pan with the butter in the oven to melt.

3. While the butter is melting, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and a pinch of salt (if you’re not using salted butter) in a bowl with the milk.

4. Remove the butter from the oven and pour the batter over the top, DO NOT STIR.

5. Combine remaining cup of sugar with the sliced peaches and spoon over the batter, liquid and all.

6. Bake for about 1 hour until it is golden brown, but check it around 50 min

7. Serve warm, cold, or with ice cream.

Reference: http://www.delange.org/PeachDwarf/PeachDwarf.htm

Here are some more great books with recipes for peaches:

• Peach Delights Cookbook: A Collection of Peach Recipes (Cookbook Delights Series)
• Peach Recipe Journal
• Peaches and Other Juicy Fruits: From Sweet to Savory, 150 Recipes for Peaches, Plums, Nectarines and Apricots

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Apple pie may be an American icon, but peach pie can be just as delicious. Moms make some incredible homemade apple pie during the holidays, but peaches are a close second as a tasty (and potentially healthy) dessert ingredient.  Before becoming a Western favorite, the fuzzy fruit originated in the Far East but is now grown all over the world.  Peach trees are appearing more and more in residential yards instead of the traditional apple tree.

Very few ingredients are required for a wide range of delicious peach desserts.  The same basic ingredients can be used as a recipe for peach pie, a crunchy peach cobbler recipe, and a fresh peach cobbler recipe.  A crust or “cobbler” crumble simply requires cold water, butter, flower, and some sugar while sliced peaches, cinnamon, and sugar make an easy filling.  For greater ease, trade fresh peaches for a good canned brand to create a canned peach cobbler recipe.  While the standard peaches and cream recipe is a classic treat, some recipes add a twist with fresh berries or unexpected spices.  In place of cream, a dollop of plain Greek yogurt on any fresh fruit can be a nutritious substitute for cream.

For folks who are crazy about peaches, consider a recipe for peach salsa and one for peach jelly.  Peach orchards have grown in popularity for those who like to pick the fruit straight from the tree, or fresh peaches can be purchased at local farmers’ markets.

Reference: http://www.natural-homeremedies.org/blog/goodness-of-peaches/

Benefits of Fruit, Fruit Recipes, General, Health, Uses of Fruit, Where to Buy Andrea Gillespie, canned peach cobbler recipe, crunchy peach cobbler recipe, fresh peach cobbler recipe, peaches and cream recipe, recipe for peach pie

Remember Jack Lalanne?  His juicing infomercials have been around for a long time and always give me the urge to eat healthier.  I really enjoy fruit and berries at breakfast, but I seem to waste a lot of the carrots and greens I buy for cooking. 

With some Jack Lalanne juicer recipes, I think I can put to use some of the leftover vegetables I usually have in my refrigerator after a week of cooking dinner.  Some juice extractor recipes treat specific health problems as well if used in the proper combination – and not just during cold and flu season! 

We all know that fruits and veggies are good for the heart, so why not make homemade juice that can help protect the heart, skin, eyes and even liver?  Weight loss programs often require a complete system flush.  Juicing can help with this detox.  Juicer detox recipes often include the very vegetables I have leftover – carrots and spinach. 

Many power juicer recipes blend both fruits and vegetables.  I’m looking forward to the cucumber celery cooler.  Though I wouldn’t have believed celery and cucumber make a tasty drink, combining them with the apple and lemon actually makes for a refreshing, slightly sweet snack that I feel good about.  After making one of my favorite dishes, shepherd’s pie, the next morning I can pop the two or three carrots that are always left into the juicer with practically any fruit for a healthy breakfast drink.  Maybe I can get my kids to eat spinach this way!

Post by Andrea L. Gillespie

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If you have been a loyal Antioxidant-fruits.com reader, then you might have noticed that the site was re-launched in January with a bit of a facelift.

After much debate, we decided to move the site from SBI to Wordpress and used Ninja Blog Setup to do it.

We wanted the site to be more interactive and engaging for our readers.  We also quite enjoy this platform as it allows for us to include a lot more options than we were able to do with SBI.

So with that said, we would love for our readers to start contributing.  If you like fruit, have a fruit company or just want to learn about fruit, we are accepting guest posts.  Please do contact us and clear your topic idea for the site before you submit it.

We are also accepting fruit recipes, fruit pictures, fruit farm directory listings, travel to fruit ideas, where to buy fruit ideas and much more.

The purpose of antioxidant-fruits.com is to share information about fruit – it’s uses, availability and benefits.  Fruit is an amazing food – it looks cool, tastes great and supplies our bodies with fabulous nutrients and minerals.

Please contribute to this site in any way that you see fit!  We welcome all comments and suggestions!

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Although it seems silly to talk about fruits for 2010, it is also appropriate as everyone seems to be covering what the top foods are for 2010.  As a fruit website, we thought we’d cover the top fruits for 2010!

Whether you are dieting or just trying to eat more healthy in 2010, then there is no doubt that you want to include a  number of different fruits in your diet.  Antioxidant fruits provide vitamins, minerals and fiber.  In addition to these essential nutrients, they also have disease fighting compounds. 

Disease Fighting Compounds in Fruit:

• Lycopene (a chemical that gives fruit a red color)
• Reservatrol (Found in red grapes)
• Anthocyanin (Found in blueberries, blackberries, kiwis and cherries)

When you choose fruits for 2010, you have a reduced risk of diabetes, chronic medical conditions, like diabetes, high cholestrol and high blood pressure.  Also, regular consumption of fruit reduces your risk for heart disease, strokes and certain types of cancer.

Fruits are easy to come by in your grocery store.  If they aren’t in season, sometimes you can find them in your freezer section.  Or you can always wait until they are in season and them freeze them so that you can have them when they are not in season.

Since fruit is easy to prepare, it shouldn’t be terribly difficult to incorporate it into your diet.  You can serve it raw, blended, baked or grilled.  It is the perfect compliment to a yogurt snack or for a topping on your favorite ice cream or cereal. 

Tell us how you will incorporate fruit in your diet for 2010 by leaving a comment below.

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Post by Jenny Dean

If you are like me, then you love when it is pomegranate season.  However, it can be difficult sometimes to know how to get pomegranate seeds out of the pomegranate.

My father called me the other day and said that he had seen a special on TV about how to get pomegranate seeds out fast.  So I decided to look on YouTube and see what I can find.  Please check out the video below.  It shows you how to get pomegranate seeds out in less than 5 minutes. 

The instructions from the video are as follows:

1. Cut the pomegranate in half
2. Make 4-5 slits around the outside portion each half
3. Gently open the pomegranate at the slits.
4. Get out a clean bowl.
5. Cup the pomegranate in your hand (cut portion on your palm) with your fingers spread apart over the bowl.  With the other hand,  use something sturdy and hard, like the handle of a screwdriver or the handle of a knife) to hit the seeds out of the pomegranate.  It is best to sort of rotate the pomegranate in your hand, so that it is hit evenly.   Then the seeds will fall into the bowl that is under your hand.

The video offers some additional tips:

• Wear dark clothing when doing this as a pomegrante’s juice will stain your clothes
• You might want to place the bowl in a sink to reduce any mess.
• Wash your hands with a bit of lemon juice to prevent stains.

My usual approach with de-seeding a pomegranate has been to cut it in  half.  Put it in a bowl of cold water and then emerge my hands in the cold water.  Then I start to peel away all the flesh of the pomegranate and then just let the seeds drop to the bottom of the bowl and the little pieces of flesh float to the top.  That way it is easy to collect the little flesh pieces all at once.  You can see this method here:

Do you have additional tips on how to seed a pomegranate?  Please leave your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below.

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by tata4now
from Lake Emily

Wet Ingredients
1 egg
1/2 c Brown Sugar
1 c Sour cream or Buttermilk
2 TB Vegetable Oil
2 TB Lighter Bake

Dry Ingredients
1 c White Flour
1/2 c whole meal flour (irish)
1/8 c Ground Flax
1/8 c Wheat germ
1/4 c toasted oats, Ground
1 TB Baking Powder
1/2 t salt

Fruit
1 c Aronia berries
2 Tb candied ginger, chopped fine
1/2 white choc chips, chopped

Topping
2 TB Raw Sugar

Whisk together wet ingredients in small bowl
Sift dry ingredients x2 into large bowl, create a well.
Add wet ingredients, stir until just mixed
Pulse fruit ingredients in food processor a few times.
Fold into batter.
Use 1/4 cup amounts, fill a 12 count muffin tin.
Spinkle each muffin with raw sugar.
Bake at 400 for 15-18 minutes.

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by GreenEatingGirl
from Cleveland

9 – 12 large fresh strawberries
1 celery rib
1/2 large apple
1 banana
1/4 – 1/2 lemon
1 acai smoothie pack-thawed* (I use samazon brand – unsweetened)
1/2 – 1 packet of NuStevia or 1tbsp. light agave nectar (for sweetness)

If using a blender, blend all ingredients and enjoy. If using a juicer, blend all ingredients except for acai smoothie pack and sweetener. Pour juice in to large glass and stir in acai smoothie pack and sweetener.

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by Laurel Harper
from Pennsylvania

Thanks, Sure Jell, for this recipe!

Note: This recipe uses the inversion method; if you prefer, simply use the water bath process instead.

Peach Jelly

3 ½ cups prepared juice (about 6 lbs. fully ripe peaches)
1 ½ cups water
1 box Sure Jell Fruit Pectin
4 ½ cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

1. BRING boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.

2. PIT unpeeled peaches. Finely chop or grind fruit. Place in saucepot; add water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 min., stirring occasionally. Place 3 layers of damp cheesecloth or jelly bag in large bowl. Pour prepared fruit into cheesecloth. Tie cheesecloth closed; hang and let drip into bowl until dripping stops. Press gently. Measure exactly 3-1/2 cups juice into 6- or 8-qt. saucepot. (If necessary, add up to 1/2 cup water to get exact measure.)

3. STIR pectin into prepared fruit in saucepot. Add ½ tsp. butter to reduce foaming. Bring to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.

4. LADLE immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with 2-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Turn jars upside-down. After 5 minutes, turn upright. (Avoid improper lid seal by filling jars immediately with hot fruit mixture.) After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

Nutrition (per tbl):
50 Calories
12 Carbohydrates

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