Strawberry - The Luscious Treat
n the world of juicy, tempting, springtime fruits, one of the biggest hits is the colorful strawberry. A versatile fruit packed with the goodness of nutrients, it gives almost everything our body needs, in a small, tasty little bulb, which wears its 200 seeds on its skin…perhaps the only fruit to do so!!
When we bite into the juicy, sweet sour strawberry, how many of us realize that this little cousin of the rose is not only blessed with a unique flavor and essence, but also a whole lot of nutrition. Did you know that eight pieces of strawberry take care of almost 15% of a growing child’s daily requirement of vitamin C? One cup will take care of an adult’s Vitamin C requirement for a day. What a great way to stay healthy. Very high in iron content and potassium stock, the strawberries are also low on calories; almost 60 calories for a whole cup of chopped ones. Folic acid, that golden mantra for making and growing children, and for repair and maintenance of our bodies, is also found a plenty in this fruit. Apart from all these obvious benefits, strawberries are also found to possess anti-oxidant properties.
For a fruit with so many great properties, it is very easy to preserve, cook and serve too. Not too many of us know that strawberries have been considered a divine fruit even by ancient Romans. They thought of it as a cure for varied ailments, at least took care of the symptoms like melancholy, inflammations, fevers, throat infections, kidney stones, gall bladder stones, gout and even bad breath. That’s some range, but maybe the basis of this was the fact that it was a tempting fruit…and one excuse to eat is was as good as any other!!!!
Fresh strawberries are very delicate, and need to be consumed very fast. When buying, you’re your nose be your guide, a fresh, ripe strawberry give s a very fruity aroma. Or else it is either not ready or the problem is in your nose. Actually, most large strawberry farms pick the berries before they are ripe, because they need to be ready through their long journey to the market. Because of this, the strawberry becomes redder and luscious in its packing itself, but not any sweater. So just seeing a ruby red, luscious strawberry is not reason enough to buy it, till it smells right.
However, there are any numbers of methods to preserve their goodness and these, thankfully, preserve their goodness too. The easiest is to arrange them in a single layer in a shallow container and refrigerate, covering loosely. But make sure these are not washed, because washing loosens their protective outer layer, and the decay will set in much faster. Wash the fruit just before you need to eat it. In any case, NEVER allow strawberry to soak in water, it will only spoil their texture and dilute the flavor. Always wash them gently and let them air dry.
When eaten fresh, strawberries are one of nature’s best sources for vitamin C, folic acid and also cut back on calories. On cooking, the volume is reduced by half, so a cup of cooked strawberries is equal to half a cup of raw ones. By themselves they help prevent fat accumulation but only the sinful desserts forms that we are fond of eating them in, create trouble. Of course, strawberries and cream is not a patch on the goodness of fresh strawberries.
There are a large number of dishes across cuisines that utilize the strawberry’s unique flavor, but one of the best is in the form of crush of fresh berries. Almost all the species of strawberry known to man promote heart health and lower the risk of cancer. In some cases, they are known to be beneficial for people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and memory loss. As a fresh fruit it is the sixth highest contender for antioxidant properties, and stands third in actual chemical effectiveness in preventing cell oxidation.
Some of the easiest and tastiest dishes that can be made with this little gem are given here.
Strawberry-Spinach Salad
This is a tossed salad with honey dressing, and the green presence of spinach.
You need two bunches of fresh spinach, washed, chopped or torn into small pieces, one cup of thickly sliced strawberries, and one tsp roasted sesame seeds.
For the dressing, combine two tablespoons each of honey, balsamic vinegar and rice vinegar, and two teaspoonfuls of Dijon mustard and salt and pepper for taste.
Toss all the ingredients gently and add in the dressing.
Power Shake with Strawberry and Banana
For this great breakfast drink you need half a cup of skimmed milk, two tablespoons of wheat germ, half a cup of sliced strawberries, one very ripe banana and two ice cubes.
Blend together into a smoothie, and enjoy.
For a fruit with so many great properties, it is very easy to preserve, cook and serve too. Not too many of us know that strawberries have been considered a divine fruit even by ancient Romans. They thought of it as a cure for varied ailments, at least took care of the symptoms like melancholy, inflammations, fevers, throat infections, kidney stones, gall bladder stones, gout and even bad breath. That’s some range, but maybe the basis of this was the fact that it was a tempting fruit…and one excuse to eat is was as good as any other!!!!
Fresh strawberries are very delicate, and need to be consumed very fast. When buying, you’re your nose be your guide, a fresh, ripe strawberry give s a very fruity aroma. Or else it is either not ready or the problem is in your nose. Actually, most large strawberry farms pick the berries before they are ripe, because they need to be ready through their long journey to the market. Because of this, the strawberry becomes redder and luscious in its packing itself, but not any sweater. So just seeing a ruby red, luscious strawberry is not reason enough to buy it, till it smells right.
However, there are any numbers of methods to preserve their goodness and these, thankfully, preserve their goodness too. The easiest is to arrange them in a single layer in a shallow container and refrigerate, covering loosely. But make sure these are not washed, because washing loosens their protective outer layer, and the decay will set in much faster. Wash the fruit just before you need to eat it. In any case, NEVER allow strawberry to soak in water, it will only spoil their texture and dilute the flavor. Always wash them gently and let them air dry.
When eaten fresh, strawberries are one of nature’s best sources for vitamin C, folic acid and also cut back on calories. On cooking, the volume is reduced by half, so a cup of cooked strawberries is equal to half a cup of raw ones. By themselves they help prevent fat accumulation but only the sinful desserts forms that we are fond of eating them in, create trouble. Of course, strawberries and cream is not a patch on the goodness of fresh strawberries.
There are a large number of dishes across cuisines that utilize the strawberry’s unique flavor, but one of the best is in the form of crush of fresh berries. Almost all the species of strawberry known to man promote heart health and lower the risk of cancer. In some cases, they are known to be beneficial for people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and memory loss. As a fresh fruit it is the sixth highest contender for antioxidant properties, and stands third in actual chemical effectiveness in preventing cell oxidation.
Some of the easiest and tastiest dishes that can be made with this little gem are given here.
Strawberry-Spinach Salad
This is a tossed salad with honey dressing, and the green presence of spinach.
You need two bunches of fresh spinach, washed, chopped or torn into small pieces, one cup of thickly sliced strawberries, and one tsp roasted sesame seeds.
For the dressing, combine two tablespoons each of honey, balsamic vinegar and rice vinegar, and two teaspoonfuls of Dijon mustard and salt and pepper for taste.
Toss all the ingredients gently and add in the dressing.
Power Shake with Strawberry and Banana
For this great breakfast drink you need half a cup of skimmed milk, two tablespoons of wheat germ, half a cup of sliced strawberries, one very ripe banana and two ice cubes.
Blend together into a smoothie, and enjoy.
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