Hellooooo summer and berry season! One of my favorite ways to eat fresh berries is in some kind of cereal-like or oatmeal-like recipe. It is not easy to find a truly healthy cereal, and when you do, it's insanely expensive. SO, this is a way to make your own "cereal", which is actually more of a granola.
Buckwheat granola recipe breakdown
Buckwheat groats are a great plant-based source of complete protein. They are naturally gluten-free. Don’t let the name fool you - there is no “wheat” in buckwheat!
The nuts/seeds add healthy fats, and the sugar content stays low with just a banana and a small amount of sweetener. This is a great low-sugar recipe if you are on a candida protocol - just use xylitol as your sweetener.
This Buckwheat Granola can be served with a plant-based milk, yogurt, or even kefir. In this recipe, I used an unsweetened Organic and Dairy-Free Probiotic Drinkable Cashewmilk Yogurt made by Forager.
When are berries in season?
The earliest berries to ripen are strawberries - they become available in the spring and are delicious throughout the summer. Cherries also begin to ripen in the spring.
In the summer, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries become available. Strawberries and cherries also continue to grow.
For fall, raspberries and sometimes strawberries can remain in-season.
Should I eat berries in the winter?
Uff, that’s a loaded question. Berries are super high in antioxidants, so if that’s your main source of antioxidants, I say go for it. However, it is MUCH better to eat berries frozen during the off-season. Fruits and vegetables are picked at their peak ripeness to be flash frozen - this preserves the best flavor and highest nutrient content. You can add frozen berries to your winter smoothies to add sweetness and a nutrient-punch.
Now, another conversation is seasonality. We wouldn’t naturally have access to berries in the winter months (modern growers use greenhouses and other methods to continue to grow non-seasonal foods in the off-months). Winter months are a time to enjoy cold-weather fruits like kiwis, pineapple, cranberries, limes, lemons, oranges, apples, and pears. Perhaps winter is when you can give your body a “break” from berries and focus on all the other delicious options instead…
But for now, we are FINALLY in summer and can indulge in all the beautiful berries popping up in grocery stores and farmers markets….
