Discover the Blackberry, Heroic Superfood!

Where I live, deep in the redwoods, the blackberry has taken over large areas, consuming everything around it. It is infamously known as an invasive.
I don't see many people harvesting them, and they are wonderfully sweet. Perhaps its a false idea of where our food comes from. This idea that the food in grocery stores is cleaner, healthier and safer. In reality living near a large berry farming community, most of the berry's are grown on the side of highways. But I challenge you reader, if you live in a place where berries ripen in the rays, (and haven't gotten sprayed) to tip-toe around the needles and thorns, and carefully pick the juicy, sweet fruit. And see if you can taste the sun and enjoy these health benefits.

I have my favorite Blackberry patch a block down the road, tucked away in a meadow. I find foraging to be a relaxing way to supplement my garden or the grocery's I buy each week. It gives you a connection with the ecosystem you are living in, and at it's most humble gives you appreciation for the weeds.

And in a time when the hot summer sun is drying everything out, most things are bolting or not quite mature, the blackberry is a juicy reprieve. But it's sweetness is just the beginning of understanding these amazing fruit. The health benefits are impressively abundant, health studies research shows they are one of the top cancer fighting fruits . And even though you have to carefully pick each berry one at a time to avoid a whip-lashing of thorns, what the berries offer make it more than worth it.

One cup of blackberries contains 1/3 of your daily fiber, both soluble and insoluble. It is loaded with vitamins A,E,K and B as well as antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin which destroy free radicals and fight cancer with ruthless vigor. These heroic little fruit don't stop there. They have some of the highest levels of ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species) that help you stay young and fight chronic diseases and cancer. They also contain minerals like copper, manganese, potassium, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, riboflavin, niacin and folic acid. Upon further examination we find high levels of phenolic flavonoids phyochemicals like ellagic acid, anthocyanins (are the reason blackberries are a dark shade of purple), tannin, gallic acid, pelargonidins, quercetin, cyanidins, kaemferol, catechins, and salicylic acid. All of these antioxidants compounds protect against inflammation,cancer, neurological diseases and aging. Amazing!

Just a warning, these fruit are full of sugar so watch how much you consume or risk a bellyache!

Thank you Steem friends! So excited to be here with you sharing ideas and building community.

Big Love, Katie