What Are Berries and How Can I Use Them?

Berries is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store them, what to substitute, and 76 recipes to get you started.

What are berries?

The word “berries” describes not only the fruits that have berry as part of their names, but also cherries, tomatoes, and even the hips of roses, for the definition says that berries are any kind of small, pulpy fruit, no matter what its structure may be.

They are one of nature’s most dramatic proofs that good things do indeed come
in small packages.

In cooking, there are certain fruits we think of as strictly berries.

Their names alone are delightful: barberries, bilberries, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, cloudberries, cranberries, currants, elderberries, gooseberries, loganberries, mulberries, raspberries, rowanberries and strawberries conjure visions of a pleasant land under wide skies where nature's jeweled bounty is there for the taking.

Berries grow in a wide variety of climates, but generally speaking they are a northern fruit; some, like the cloudberry of Scandinavia, even require Arctic latitudes.

Though many berries, especially strawberries, are cultivated commercially, berries still have the feeling of the wild about them.

Many wild berries taste incomparably better than their tamed brothers; nothing equals the flavor of the tiny wild strawberries of France, the wild raspberries of Maine, and the lingonberries of the vast silent woods of Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

Berries have been a wilderness food, helping many a lost man to survive. They have provided the necessary vitamins to people living when vitamins had not yet been discovered and named as such, yet were no less necessary to good health.

Berries have given variety and joy to the monotonous diet of colonists, often providing the only fruit. They have inspired poets through the ages; the 16th-century poet Thomas Tusser sings in his “Septembers Husbandrie” as follows:

“The Barberry, Respis (raspberry) and Gooseberry too, look now to be planted
as other things doo; The Gooseberry, Respis and Roses, al three, With Strawberies under them trimly agree."

And Tusser’s admonition: “Set strawberies, wife, l love them
for life" are as valid now as when the words were written.

ln cooking, berries are generally interchangeable in recipes.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 cup, thawed (250g)

Amount per Serving

Calories 245Calories from Fat 4

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 0.5g 1%

Saturated Fat 0.1g 0%

Trans Fat ~

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 7mg 0%

Total Carbohydrate 60.6g 20%

Dietary Fiber 5g 19%

Sugars ~

Protein 3.6g

Vitamin A 16% Vitamin C 313%

Calcium 2% • Iron 4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your caloric needs.

recipeland.com/nutrition

Where found

Berries are usually found in the fruit section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group

Berries are a member of the Fruits and Fruit Juices US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

How much do berries weigh?

Amount	Weight
1 cup, thawed	250 grams
1 package (10 oz)	284 grams

Fruits and Fruit Juices

Apples 1607 Apples, granny smith 280 Apple juice concentrate 68 Apricots 237 Apricots, dried 146 Mixed dried fruit 62 Avocados 441 Bananas 1034 Blackberries 70 Blueberries 462

In Chinese:	浆果
British (UK) term:
en français:	baies
en español:	bayas

Recipes using berries

There are 76 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Dad's Berry Buttermilk Scones

Dad's berry buttermilk scones bake whole wheat dough studded with blueberries or blackberries into wedges with crisp sugar tops. A wholesome breakfast scone made in cake pans.

Country Style Buttermilk Pancakes with Berry Sauce

Country Style Buttermilk Pancakes with Berry Sauce recipe

Mini Pancakes with Berry Sauce

Light mini pancakes made with yogurt and egg whites, served with a homemade cornstarch-thickened berry sauce. A leaner brunch stack that doesn't taste like a compromise.

Beral's Berry Coffee Cake

Berry coffee cake with a soft, yogurt-tender crumb studded with fresh blueberries, raspberries, or whatever berries you have on hand. A simple square-pan breakfast cake ready in 40 minutes.

Berry Orange Banana Muffins

Berry orange banana muffins made with whole wheat flour and natural bran. Mashed banana and frozen orange juice concentrate sweeten these high-fiber breakfast muffins, dotted with juicy blueberries or raspberries.

Angel Food Cake with Whipped Cream & Fresh Berries

Light and as fluffy as a feather. This version is served with whipped cream and fresh berries.

Delicious Berry Breakfast Pancakes

Whole wheat berry breakfast pancakes made light with fluffy egg whites and skim milk, sweetened with a little honey, then topped with creamy ricotta, fresh berries and maple syrup. Ready in about 20 minutes.

Autumn Pumpkin Waffles

Tender pumpkin waffles enriched with sour cream and warm spices. Light, fluffy texture from folded egg whites makes these autumn breakfast favorites crisp on the outside, soft within.

Very Moist Berry Banana Bread

Lower-fat banana bread with fresh berries, made with whipped egg whites instead of whole eggs and just a third cup of margarine. A lighter quickbread that stays moist for days.

Vermont Maple Syrup & Porter-Poached Apples

These apples are gently spiced and good for brunch as well as dessert.

Oatmeal & Berry Pancakes

These delicious pancakes are full of yumminess and goodness. They are moist in the inside, and slightly crispy on the outside. Berries give you some juicy explosion in every bite. They are perfect for breakfast.

Berry Breakfast Puff for Two

An impressive yet easy to make baked breakfast pancake that achieves a massive height and is filled with berries and yogurt.

Double Oat Granola

Double oat granola bakes rolled oats, oat bran, and wheat germ with pecans and dried fruit, sweetened with honey and applesauce instead of heavy oil. A crunchy, high-fiber, low-fat breakfast you can make ahead.

7-Up Lemon Cheesecake with Strawberry Glaze

7-Up Lemon Cheesecake with Strawberry Glaze recipe

Biscuit Baking Mix Recipes: Quick Pancakes

Try this new scrumptious pancakes that are easy to make and the kids will love!

Best Chocolate Angel Food Cake

Chocolate angel food cake with cocoa folded into a cloud of whipped egg whites, baked tall and dusted with powdered sugar. The fat-free chocolate dessert with a featherlight crumb and dramatic height.

Whole Wheat & Quinoa Pancakes

Quinoa is getting more and more popular because it's rich in protein and fiber, and it's versatile to cook. This recipe uses both whole wheat flour and quinoa flour to give the pancakes extra protein and fiber, they are delicious as well. Use fruit sauce, jam or fresh fruits as topping, an ideal breakfast to start the day.

Creme De Cassis Cheesecake

Cassis cheesecake with white chocolate folded into the filling, creme de cassis liqueur, and a tangy sour cream topping with almond. A French-inspired cheesecake with subtle blackcurrant and almond notes.

Berries & Ricotta Mini Phyllo Tarts

Fresh berries, light and creamy ricotta cheese with the golden and crispy phyllo, these mini phyllo tarts are melting in your mouth, and you can't stop reaching them.

Ricotta & Strawberry Cheese Pie with Almond Crust

Much lighter than classic cheesecake, and it is very smooth and flavorful, nice and creamy flavor from ricotta cheese and sour cream, lemon juice and zests add the refreshing citrus taste into the cheese pie; and the almond crust was flaky, nutty and tangy.