Blackberries are among the richest fruits from nature’s nutritional bounty. Though they are primarily wild berries, they have
been cultivated extensively in recent years, especially after their health benefits have been unearthed. For a while, these plants were considered as weeds! Hardly does anyone think so now, though!
Let’s get better acquainted with these useful fruits.
Black Pearly Clusters of Nutrition
All through the Pacific Northwest coast, these little shiny clusters of berries, known as blackberries, are immensely popular. For
some people, these berries are aggressive intruders of their fields and they try to eliminate them by using weedicides. However, little do they realize that these berries are actually extremely important to their health, if they only knew how to unleash their nutritional goodness.
Blackberries—What Are They?
Blackberries are Rubus fruticosis. They are a relation of marionberries and olallieberries, which are also erroneously
known as blackberries. They grow on short shrubs with densely green leaves.
They grow in forms of clusters. They are also related to raspberries. In fact, blackberries and raspberries are together known as
caneberries. There are over 375 different species of blackberries. Their common region of growth is the Pacific Northwest Coast in the United States.
Blackberries—Traditional Roots
It is believed that the blackberries are not native to the North American continent. The belief runs that these berries were
an import from the European settlers, brought over from England to this continent.
The blackberry at that time was mostly considered as a weed and an inedible plant, mostly because of the black appearance of the
berries which is usually affected by pathogens in the environment, and because of the presence of thorns in it (blackberries are
related to roses). However, a thornless hybrid of the blackberry was created in around 1920. This sturdier plant had enhanced nutritional benefits, and is what people use now.
We will be soon reoffering dried blackberries during the next harvest season, but in the meantime, feel free to check out the cherry juice, dried cherries, cherry juice concentrate and other great tasting fruit products.
