Cherries, Berries and Plums

While writing my last post, I hadn't expected so many people to be interested in it. Felt good to be able to do something good for others. I've always professed good health amongst my people and thought I should share it with others too. So it feels great to have people try these healthy, real fruit goodness instead of processed drinks to beat the heat.

In this post, I bring more juices that I discovered recently, using more commonly available summer fruits- Red cherries, strawberries and plums.

Cherries:

Two main species of cherry fruit cultivated worldwide are wild or sweet cherry and sour or tart cherry. Both the species are low calorie, rich in pigment and anti-oxidants like meltonin, beta-carotene, flavonoid, contain high mineral and vitamin content.

Cherry juice helps relieve the pain and inflammation of arthritis, gout, back pain, muscle pain and sport-related injuries. The fruit contains anti-inflammatory anthocyanins that may provide protection from colon cancer, heart attack and stroke besides promoting good health and regulating blood pressure.

Tart cherry juice concentrate is available at health stores in form of capsules as well.

Strawberries:

Everybody knows strawberry is tasty but few realize that it is in fact, a nutritional powerhouse. It has been ranked 27th best amongst all US foods and the 4th best amongst all fruits, in terms of its antioxidant capacity. It is amongst the top 50 antioxidant sources.

The fruit is again low-calorie, very high Vitamin C content, rich in manganese, dietary fiber, omega 3 fatty acids and has zero cholesterol. Strawberry also has high content of phytonutrients like flavonols, anthocyanins, phenolic acid etc.

Strawberry juice is effective in treating liver disorders like hepatitis and cirrhosis (consumed on empty stomach), by renewing liver cells and tissues. It can also relieve skin diseases like acne and psoriasis and also detoxifies the body. In summers, it can prevent heat prostration by eliminating fatigue.

Plums:

Plums (Hindi name: Aalubukhara) belong to the family of cherries. There are thousands of species of plums available in all shapes, colours and sizes.

Plums are also low calorie and are very good source of vitamin C. They are also a good source of vitamin A, vitamin K, potassium, minerals like iron and potassium, dietary fiber and anti-oxidants like phenols.

Plums help regulate the functioning of the digestive system and thereby used in constipation conditions; develop resistance against infectious agents, counter inflammation, protect from lung and oral cavity cancers and help controlling heart rate and blood pressure.

Few years back, I had this amazingly delicious and addictive strawberry juice at a roadside stall in Thailand which I never found since. While discussing healthy juicing with my grandmother, when I mentioned this, she suggested a recipe that might have been used in preparing that strawberry juice. I went ahead and tried it on all three of the abovementioned fruits by adding little touches of my own. The outcome was Lip-smacking!

Recipe:

Put 5-6 plums in a pan and fill it with enough drinking water to cover the top of the fruits. Bring water to a boil, let it cool off then gently peel the skin off and mash the plums with a spoon or by hands. Sieve the liquid in another pan till all the juice has been extracted and heat it again by adding sugar, salt or black salt (to your taste) then put it in the freezer for cooling. That's it!

Optional: I also added 2-3  mint leaves (pudina) and few fennel seeds while heating. 

*I used the same recipe with cherries and strawberries too with few exceptions.

• You'd need to increase the count of these two fruits as they are smaller than plums.
• Before adding sugar, salt, lime juice or any such thing, do taste first to see how you like it.

Although you can use this recipe for making strawberry juice, another easier and quicker method is:

Slice strawberries and blend with cold water, sugar, lime juice, salt; strain and serve. :D


Enjoy the summers! 

Lesser known Summer Fruits

Summers is one of my most beloved season, regardless of all the heat, dust, tan and grime it brings. Mainly because of the airy clothes that provide freedom of movement unlike winters and the fruits and coolers that we get to enjoy throughout the season.


The fruits I am going to talk about in this post are the much elusive phalsa fruit and bael fruit. They're not as such lesser known but they are less popular. Who can blame you when you've got fruits like mangoes, melons and peaches in front of you?


Phalsa fruit's botanic name is Grewia Asiatica. Its purple in colour and tangy-sweet in taste. The fruit is native to the South Asian subcontinent and in the market for just a month.
Phalsa fruit juice contains magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium, carbohydrates and vitamins A and C. The anthocyanin flavonoids it contains are thought to be protective against cancer.
The fruit is said to prevent respiratory problems like cough-cold, purify blood, regulates cholesterol levels and blood pressure and can even treat sunburn.


Coming to the bael fruit, it has lot of common English/Indian names like wood apple, holy apple, elephant apple, monkey fruit etc.
It is again, native to India and most common in the South Asian subcontinent. It is called wood apple for its hard shell with gooey pulp on the inside and has an exotic slightly sweet, nutty taste.
A good source of beta-carotene, thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin C, fibers, iron, phosphorus, carbohydrates and proteins.
This fruit can cure respiratory infections like cough-cold and asthma; scurvy, peptic ulcer, piles, diarrhea, good for kidney patients and diabetics and a great energy booster.


There are different ways these fruits can be consumed but I am going to talk about juicing them because that is perfect for these long hot Indian summers and because that is what I do, and trust me, if I can do it, Anyone can do it. Basically because I am not much of a cook.


Phalsa juice:
Wash phalsa fruits in a metal sieve and add to the juicer/blender along with enough water to cover the top of the fruits. Mash them and sieve in a bowl till you get all the juice. You can add more or less water according to the consistency or thickness of the drink you like. Add black salt, sugar (to your taste) and done. Ta Da!


Bael juice:
Similar steps are to be followed for this juice. Because the shell is hard, pound it against the floor like you would, to break a coconut, take all the pulp out in a bowl. It is your choice to pick the seeds out or let it be. Add water and blend till it is thick and pulpy. Sieve with more water. Add sugar, black salt, rock salt as per your taste and Voila! 


Easy enough, no? As with any other fruit/eatable, over-consumption should be prevented. Special mention for the bael fruit. It can cause abortion so expecting moms shouldn't drink it without consulting with their doctors.


For doubt, queries, questions, please Google further (:P) or leave a comment or tweet and I'll help. Also, if you know cooler ways or fruits/vegetables to be had this summer, ping me. You know how much I love em. Happy Summers!