The strawberry is an ancient plant that is native to Europe and North America. It has a cooling thermal nature a musky aroma and a sweet/sour slightly acidic flavor. It is somewhat an unusual fruit in that its seeds are embedded on its surface. California provides 80 percent of the nations strawberries. Strawberries are one of the foods that are permitted irradiation.

Strawberries are one of the first fruits to appear in the spring and they are an excellent springtime cleansing tonic, beneficial to the ‘spleen-pancreas’ meridian in Chinese medicine. Strawberries are used to break down excess toxins in the liver, improve appetite, moisten the lungs and generate body fluids. They are used for thirst, sore throat and hoarseness. Eating a few strawberries before meals helps to treat poor digestion accompanied by abdominal pain and swelling. Strawberries are used to relieve urinary difficulties.

Strawberries are very rich in silicon and they have just as much vitamin C as oranges, as well as vitamin A, some complex B-vitamins, potassium and fiber, and are therefore very useful for arterial and connective tissue repair. To strengthen the teeth and gums and to help remove tartar, cut a strawberry in half and rub onto the teeth and gums, leave for 45 minutes and then rinse with warm water.

Some people suffer allergic reactions to strawberries and this is often the case if the berries are not vine ripened. Strawberries do not ripen naturally off the vine, therefore buying out of season or out of region berries will mean that they have very little flavor (and are almost guaranteed to be irradiated). The peak season for strawberries is late spring through early summer. It is best to buy local and organic, they will be the most aromatic and flavorful. When buying, look for the berries that are fully red and slightly soft with the hulls intact. Do not remove the green caps until after washing the fruit and just before serving.

The month of June in Oregon is quite fantastic. I can’t believe the abundance of fresh food everywhere I go… Not only in my garden, but grocery stores, roadside stands and farmer’s markets abound with overwhelming varieties of greens, spring onions, herbs, and in the last week the berries have begun taking front stage in the fruit displays. Strawberries are what’s ripe right now, but raspberries and blueberries are quickly following suite! So the ingredient(s) of the month is/are Berries (plural) in all their bounty and abundance!

This month I will post 3 recipes for 3 berry varieties beginning with a super-simple dessert recipe inspired by this month’s Jello-o Mold contest ; )

Strawberry Ginger Kanten with Spicy Cacao Sauce

(I know this recipe is kind of funny… Who would do a fruit kanten with a sauce? Well- it turned out lovely, surprising fluidity with the textures, and the sauce could also be omitted, or just eaten on the side, if you wanted something a bit more traditional).

For those of you who might not be familiar with “Kanten” it is a vegan option similar to Jello-o but instead of gelatin the binder is a seaweed called Agar. The texture is nearly identical though not as rubbery as gelatin, agar is tasteless so whatever your kanten ingredients are will shine forth just fine… and it’s good for you and… it’s not made with ground horse hooves (eew) like gelatin. You can purchase Agar in flake or powder form or buy kanten bars from most health food stores and many asian markets.

3 cups strawberries cut in slices plus a few whole for garnish
1.5 cups juice (I used Santa Cruz Organic Limeade, but almost any fruit juice you like will do)
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup candied ginger cut into small pieces
1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsweetened cacao powder
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
sea salt
2 bars kanten or equivalent

Following the instructions for the kanten or agar, dissolve in cold water completely and set aside.
Combine fruit juice and lime juice in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil, don’t boil for long, just turn to simmer. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and candied ginger and cook for one minute. If you have a more demanding sweet tooth you may choose to add extra maple syrup now. Make sure your heat is at low, add 2 cups of strawberries and a small pinch of sea salt, stir well and remove from heat. Mix in dissolved agar completely. Pour mixture into bowls or molds and place in refrigerator to cool. Allow them to cool completely (about 3 hours) they will harden as they cool.

For the sauce

In a blender or food processor place the remaining 1 cup of strawberries and blend on high until a smooth purée. Add cacao powder, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, maple syrup, cayenne and a tiny pinch of sea salt and blend one more minute.

To serve pour sauce onto chilled plates and use a spoon, kabob spears or small spatula to shape the sauce into fun designs. When the kanten has cooled completely use a flexible rubber spatula to separate the edges from the mold and then turn upside-down on a clean surface to shake out. (Here it’s really best to use a spatula, you can try a butter knife but you’ll get choppy edges- see the picture.)

Carefully place your kanten shape on your sauced up plate with a little more sauce on top, cut garnish strawberries and place them, add a fine sprinkling of cacao over the whole plate and serve immediately.

The cashew (Anacardium Occidentale) is a tree in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The plant is native to northeastern Brazil. The cashew is a relative to poison ivy, poison oak and mangoes. The hard seed surrounding the “nut” contains an irritant latex. The large red, fleshy organs called Cashew “Apples” attract animal dispersers and are sometimes used by humans either eaten raw or crushed or fermented into wine. Cashew Juice is strangely addictive and delicious and can calm an upset stomach. The oil of the cashew nut can be used topically as an anti-fungal and for treating cracked heels. The seeds can be ground up into powders and used as an antivenom for snake bites! The top three producers and exporters of Cashew are Nigeria, Vietnam and India. For more information about Cashews read the Wikipedia article here.

Check in with Feed The Yogi for this month’s Cashew Recipes! We’ll be making raw cashew hummus and a cashew cream dessert custard. Yum Yum!