Wednesday 22nd September

Check out my article today on http://blog.localmarkets.ie/. For a sample of what to expect, see below:

I'm not sure I should be covering raspberries as we only have a week or two left of them but I can't help it. We've such lovely berries at the moment that much of what I'll talk about below is similar for all berries.

Raspberries are an excellent source of manganese (a powerful anti-oxidant) as well as Vitamin C and fiber.

It is realy the anti-oxidant protection that makes these berries as g0od as they are. You may have seen the term phytonutrients or phytochemicals used a bit lately, and the reason for this is that they have been linked to a number of positive areas of health. Phytonutrients are essentially powerful anti-oxidants and if you are looking for foods that are high in these nutrients think of one word..... colour!

Its the phytonutrients in food that give them their colour and you can see these vibrant scolours in fresh fruits and vegetables. However, you can also see the array of colours in beans and lentils and even the colours in nuts and seeds and grains are as a result of the phytonutrients.

Raspberries key anti-oxidants are ellagic acid and anthocyanins, which also act as anti-cancer compounds and anti-microbials keeping bacteria and fungus at bay.

Some research has shown that raspberries possess almost 50% higher antioxidant activity than strawberries, three times that of kiwis, and ten times the antioxidant activity of tomatoes... wow

As raspberries are highly perishable, they should only be purchased one or two days prior to use. Choose berries that are firm, plump and deep in color, while avoiding those that are soft, mushy or moldy. Raspberries do freeze well and I've noticed some companies selling frozen raspberries with nothing added to them - these are great in the winter with some porridge or as a dessert.

Raspberry and Coconut muffins

1 cup of whole grain spelt flour
1 dessert spoon of chopped almonds
1 dessert spoon of chopped cashews
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 dessert spoons ground linseed (optional)
1/2 cup of dessicated coconut
1 egg
2 very ripe bananas – lightly mashed
1/2 cup raspberries
1 tablespoon of maple syrup or honey
A pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 160 oc FAN. Place a little oil on a kitchen towel and wipe down a muffin tray.

Place all of the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl – make sure the flour is well mixed with the baking powder – and add the salt, nuts, dessicated coconut, and ground linseeds if you are using them.

In another bowl, I use a measuring jug, mash up the bananas with the egg, then adding the maple syrup. If you’re bananas are not very ripe, they will be hard to use here – you want them quite soft.

Make a hole in the centre of the bowl of dry ingredients and add in the wet, stirring the mixture together well. Then add the raspberries and stir through gently.

Place in the individual muffin holders and place in oven for around 25 mins. Check if they are done by putting a skewer into the centre and it comes out fairly dry (remember you have mashed banana in these so there is often a bit of this left on the skewer). Leave in the tray till they are cool – if you wait that long! Enjoy..