All About Berries

Dried Blueberries, Cranberries and Strawberries.

Gushing with succulent flavor ranging from sweet to tart, berries are bound to leave you feeling refreshed. There are many types of berries from around the world and many have been staples in our diets for centuries. A few of the common varieties most are familiar with include strawberries, blueberries and cranberries.

Strawberries

Strawberries are highly popular, ranking as the favorite fruit amongst young children in the United States. They are the only fruit that has the seeds on the outside and the average seed count on a single fruit is a whopping 200! The most desired variety is the garden strawberry which is a hybrid between the native wild Virginia strawberry and a Chilean variety (01). The garden strawberry is sweeter than other varieties and was first crossbred in France. When this new sweet and tasty strawberry arrived in America, strawberries and cream became a delicacy in the States. They are great in a huge array of recipes or simply on their own. Strawberries are the fifth most sought-after fruit in our nation (02).

Blueberries

Blueberries and cranberries are two additional fruit species native to North America. The plump, small, spherical blueberries are high in antioxidants and are considered by many a super fruit (03). Native Americans taught New England settlers how to dry blueberries to store through the winter, but it wasn’t until the 1990’s that blueberry cultivation in California really took off (04)(05). Today, the United States produces 90 percent of the world’s blueberries (06).

Dried Berries from Bella Viva Orchards

Cranberries

In contrast, presenting a color palette ranging from bright to deep red, the naturally tart cranberry has become a Thanksgiving staple in the United States. Commercial cranberries started in the 1800’s on Cape Cod where they grow on shrubby vines located in bogs (07). After harvest, fresh cranberries are often juiced, dried, or made into a delicious colorful sauce. Due to their extremely tart nature, cranberries are often sweetened to balance out their intense flavor profile.

Even though each of the delicious berries are tasty on their own, the flavors complement one another extremely well. Dried berries are a great addition atop yogurt, tossed in a salad or can be that extra burst of flavor in your favorite homemade trail mix. We love adding them to our smoothies, oatmeal, pancakes and baked goods. We enjoy providing quality products we know were grown with love so that you can relish in them “berry” much!

  1. https://nutrineat.com/history-of-strawberries
  2. http://theproducenews.com/markets-and-trends/8784-in-the-know-u-s-berry-demand-and-imports
  3. https://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/blueberries-the-antioxidant-super-fruit.html
  4. http://www.indepthinfo.com/blueberries/history.htm
  5. http://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-blueberry27-2009may27-story.html
  6. http://www.nutritiousfruit.com/blueberries.html
  7. https://www.cranberries.org/exploringcranberries/into/av/cran_through_time.pdf