Summertime is berry season: enjoy these colourful fruits!

Whether in muesli, in salads, as a fruity addition to cocktails or on their own as an aromatic snack: berries add a splash of colour to many summer dishes and drinks – in red or blue to purple or even black. These colourful fruits are not only delicious, but also really healthy.¹ We reveal what berries contain and why these little nutrient bombs are more than just a delicious extra, but real stars.

Which fruits are berries – and which are not?

You can find them in the supermarket or at the weekly market, they grow in your garden or in pots on the balcony: your fruit basket is sure to contain lots of delicious fruits in summer. But not all of the fruits we colloquially refer to as berries are actually botanically classified as such.²

• Real berries originate from a single flower and have a fleshy fruit coat with embedded seeds.² These include currants and blueberries, for example.
• Strawberries, on the other hand, are what are known as aggregate fruits. This is because the yellow dots on the surface are actually small nuts.³
• Raspberries and blackberries are aggregate drupes. This means that a berry is made up of many small drupes.⁴
• The fruits of the black elderberry are also berry-like drupes.⁵

Nevertheless, many of the fruits that we strictly speaking refer to ‘incorrectly’ in everyday life have a firm place on our plate with summer berries. That is why we are lenient with terminology and present some of the most popular types here.

Blueberries: Small, blue and (sometimes) wild

These genuine berries are also known as bilberries and belong to the heather family botanically. The small fruits are extremely healthy, as they contain valuable nutrients. They contain fibre, vitamin C, potassium, zinc, folic acid and iron – as well as polyphenols and anthocyanins. These are secondary plant substances that are not only responsible for the blue colour of these little powerhouses. They are also said to have many positive effects on health.

What colour is the flesh?

Connoisseurs distinguish between wild blueberries and cultivated blueberries, a special cultivated variety. The berries’ colour is the clearest indication of their origin: the cultivated variety is blue on the outside, but its flesh is white. In contrast, the wild variety has blue flesh. This indicates a higher content of healthy anthocyanins.

The blueberry harvest in Germany begins in July and lasts until September.⁴ Imported cultivated blueberries are now available in supermarkets almost all year round. Many come from countries such as Peru and have therefore travelled a long way. It is therefore better for the climate to buy local or European fruit in season.⁶

Currants: A colourful trio

Currants are real berries and come in three different varieties – a glance at their skin reveals their flavour: white currants are the sweetest, but are rarely found in shops. The red berries are rather sour, while blackcurrants have a tart flavour.^{4, 7}

The berry harvest traditionally begins on St John’s Day (24 June) and lasts until September. They also offer healthy nutrients. These include vitamins (C, A), minerals such as potassium and iron, fibre and – particularly abundant in blackcurrants – colouring anthocyanins.⁸

Black elderberries^{9, 10}: Heat first, then enjoy

Black elderberries have long been valued in folklore for their health benefits. The berry-like stone fruits have antiviral, antioxidant and immune-boosting properties. No wonder: elderberries contain vitamins (C, A, B vitamins) and minerals (potassium, calcium, iron) and are rich in anthocyanins.

Elderberry is mainly available commercially in processed form, for example as juice, schnapps and jelly, as well as syrup made from the flowers. There is an important reason for this: elderberries contain a toxic substance called sambunigrin, primarily when unripe, which can cause nausea and indigestion. Sambunigrin is only rendered harmless by heat.
Therefore, it is important to harvest elderberries only when all the berries are black, always heat them thoroughly (above 80 °C) and then process them.¹¹ Depending on weather conditions, the berries are ripe in August or September.

Raspberries and blackberries: close relatives with individual characteristics

Raspberries and blackberries are closely related, but each has its own unique characteristics: while delicate raspberries beguile with their seductive scent, shiny, black-purple blackberries impress with their intense flavour.

Raspberries were first sighted in Italy and Greece in the 16th century, but originally come from East Asia. There are varieties that ripen in summer and others that ripen in autumn. These delicious fruits are high in fibre, vitamins (C and B group), minerals (potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese and iron) and secondary plant substances.¹²

Wild blackberries grow on the edges of forests and paths, but their fruits are often smaller than those of cultivated varieties.¹³ Depending on the variety, blackberries ripen from July into autumn. Healthy ingredients include vitamins (C, E, folate¹⁴, a precursor of vitamin A), minerals (calcium, potassium, magnesium) – and natural anthocyanins, which give blackberries their typical black colour.¹⁵

Popular strawberries: rich in vitamin C

And of course, strawberries are a must on our colourful berry plate – after all, they are one of the most popular fruits in Germany. These aggregate fruits are now available almost all year round, but they taste best when in season: local varieties ripen from May to July, while multiple-bearing varieties ripen until early autumn.

Did you know that strawberries contain more vitamin C than oranges?¹⁶ The fruits are also rich in fibre, other vitamins (B1, B2 and carotene, a precursor of vitamin A) and minerals (potassium, calcium, phosphorus and iron).¹⁷

How to enjoy them for longer – even after the season

Fresh berries usually only keep for a short time. It is best to store the fruit in a cool, dark place and consume or process it immediately after harvesting or purchasing.¹⁸ Tip: Berries will keep a little longer if, after washing them carefully, you soak them for a few minutes in a mixture of water and vinegar (in a ratio of two-thirds to one-third). Then rinse them well and leave them to dry on a kitchen towel.¹⁹

Would you like to enjoy the taste of summer in winter too? No problem, there are various ways to do this: you can freeze the fresh berries in portions, process them into jam, compote or liqueur, or dry them.¹⁸ To benefit from the full power of the berries and their valuable polyphenols and anthocyanins all year round, we recommend our high-quality fruit extracts in capsule form. For example, a single capsule of our rubyni^® Edelholunder actually contains 132 black elderberries.

References:

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