BYO Berries
BY
SARA ALTS HUL
P ick y o u r o w n fruit fo r b e t t e r nutrition.
hen J. Blake Slemmer
V\
y \
was a boy, he’d take
orders from neighbors,
then head to the local U-pick farm
to harvest enough to keep his whole
block in berries. “Pick-your-own
farm prices are substantially lower
than supermarket prices, and the
quality is higher, so I charged a little
extra and had happy customers,”
says Slemmer, now an environmental
scientist in Atlanta It’s a perfect—
and nutritious—endeavor for any
entrepreneurial teen (or one who’s
just lounging around bored and
listless this summer).
Fruits and veggies grown at
U-picks are much less likely to be
sprayed with pesticides or fungicides,
says Slemmer. And, an hour or so of
picking could turn you and your kids
into real fruit and vegetable lovers.
“The more exposure children have
to fruits and vegetables, the more
likely they are to eat them,” says
Keecha Harris, a registered dietitian
at the University of Alabama at
Birmingham’s School of Public
Health. “The benefits go even
further when your child helps you
prepare a dish from your own
harvest,” she adds.
U -P IC K T IP S
■
To find local farms and other U-pick
■
Bring snacks, hand wipes (it’s messy
information, visit
pickyourown.org
work), sunscreen, and loads of drinks,
especially water
■
Call ahead to make sure the farm
is open (some have odd hours or
■
Wear old clothes and shoes, and bring
unforeseen circumstances)
wide-brimmed hats
■
Go early in the morning to get the
best fruit that’s ripened overnight
1 7 2
AUGUST 2008 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
Cocktail
Therapy
A lcohol brings o u t
th e b e s t in berries.
Researchers recently made the
interesting discovery that adding
alcohol to berries boosted the
amount of antioxidants in the fruit
that could be absorbed by our bodies.
To celebrate this news, we developed
the following adults-only berry
smoothie (for kid-friendly versions,
see “Slush F u n
page 184).
1
'A
cup blueberries
%
cup strawberries, blackberries,
and/or raspberries
1
cup ice cubes
'/3
cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1
oz. vodka (2 Tbs p.)
1
Tbsp. sugar
1
Tbsp. snipped fresh mint
Mint sprigs
1.
Blend berries, ice, pineapple juice,
vodka, sugar, and mint about 2 minutes
or until smooth. Some seeds w ill remain.
2.
Transfer to large glasses. Top with a
mint sprig.
M AKES
2
SERVIN G S.
PHOTOS: (HANDFUL OF BERRIES) VEER; (BERRY SMOOTHIE) RICHARDSWEARINGER
