Nature’s Candy

The Extrovert

Soon after the grays and whites of winter have acquiesced to the vivid greens of spring, in walks the garish strawberry, the perfect opening act for summer. We stow away our winter coats, stepping out unfettered, shoulders and calves exposed for the first time in months. So too, the strawberry emerges uncloaked, the only fruit that dons its seeds on the outside. The extrovert of berries.

Sweating beneath wide rimmed hats, we trek out to the fields to hunt for the reddest of morsels, plump delicacies hidden beneath leaves. Hunched over, hot but happy to finally be out, harvesting instead of pulling food off shelves.

Back home we dip berries in melted chocolate. That night we blend the remainders with rum and sip fresh frozen daiquiris under a swath of stars.

(All recipes follow article)

The Humble Berry

Next comes the blueberry, the humble sibling, the introvert of berries. Unlike the strawberry, the blueberry protects itself from the sun with a thin coating of white powder and stows its seeds safely inside its fleshy interior. By now, we too are slathering a veneer of sunscreen on shoulders, perhaps a bit tired of the heat, dipping in cool ponds and streams whenever possible.

The blueberry need not loudly declare its presence like its predecessor. It is a quiet berry, not saccharine, but tart and subtly sweet. Likewise, it hides behind a dark exterior, not requiring bright colors to attract animals of every shape and size—robins and squirrels, deer, and the occasional black bear.

Mid to late summer we trek into the fields, filling buckets easily with this abundant berry. At home we bake blueberry crisp and freeze the remainder for winter.

The Elusive Berry

The raspberry is the prickly recluse. It deters hungry foragers with tiny thorns, playing hard to get—picked too early and they're firm and bitter, too late and mold will have taken its toll. But when plucked at just the right moment, the raspberry deftly walks the line between sweet and tart. We feel triumphant when we find a ripe patch, fighting the urge to pop them in our mouths one-by-one until none remain. Thus it's a challenge to harvest enough for a tart or jam. But that's just fine by us, because the best way to eat a raspberry is unbaked with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or better yet, whip up your own creamy vanilla raspberry ice cream.

The Bittersweet Farewell

We say goodbye to summer with the blackberry, savoring the flavor bursting in our mouths like 4th of July fireworks. A final festival in honor of summer's retreat. It is a bittersweet farewell, just like the blackberry itself. We will miss the heat, but look forward to cool breezes, to fires and hot tea, soups and slippers. Nonetheless, we are glad to have a berry to beckon us gently toward the door. We boil them down into blackberry jam. In the winter, we crunch down on toast slathered with our last jar, a reminder of the warm months ahead.

Their season is fleeting, these berries, but we savor them all the more for their brevity.

RECIPES

Strawberry Daiquiri

Blend together:

• 4 cups strawberries
• 2 cups crushed ice
• 1 cup white rum
• 1/4 cup simple syrup
• (1/4 cup lime juice optional)

Blueberry Crisp

• 5 cups blueberries
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Topping

• ¼ cup butter softened
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ cup flour
• 1/2 cup oats
• ½ cup chopped nuts

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Combine blueberries, sugar, flour, lemon juice and zest. Place in a 2qt baking dish.

Separately, combine topping ingredients, then sprinkle over blueberries.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream for a decadent treat.

Raspberry Vanilla Ice Cream

In a saucepan heat:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ¾ cup white sugar
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cool in fridge for 2 hours. Add 2 cups of fresh raspberries. Place in ice cream machine and follow manufacturer's instructions. Optional: top with additional fresh berries and chocolate syrup.