We are hardwired to love berries! It is amazing to think about - berries evolved to be sweet, colorful and nutritious because they want to be eaten by mammals and birds. Why? Because that's how they spread their seeds far and wide, deposited all over the place in a nourishing pat of poop. Nature is so amazing, if we just loosen up the iron grip of control and pay attention to what she's telling us, what she's offering us.
In supermarkets, berries tend to be expensive because most are fragile and don't keep for long, and also because off season they are shipped, refrigerated, from afar. Many berries are also sprayed heavily with pesticides. All of this adds to their carbon footprint.
However, depending on where you live, there are other sources that are cheaper and greener than the supermarket. You-pick farms are wonderful and a great way to get some fresh air. Berries are among the easiest fruits to grow in your garden - most are perennials and many spread on their own. Lots of fabulous berries grow wild: blackberries, blueberries, elderberries, and raspberries are some of the most common. Berries are easy to freeze - I put them on baking sheets to freeze them separately then bag them, or, to save space, you can smush them together. I haven't yet learned home canning, but I'm checking that out as a low-energy alternative.
The page I'm sharing here is the first example of what I'm calling "basics" - a cheat sheet of core information about a specific category of whole food. Other basics will cover things like mushrooms, the cabbage family, herbs, fish, whole grains and more. Check it out and let me know what you think and if you find it helpful!