To your berry good health

Your garden can be a source of some of the healthiest food around – and some fruits can be the real stars of the show

It’s thanks to my interest in gardening that I live such a healthy lifestyle – it keeps me active and all that fresh produce means I am sure to get at least five a day. So I count myself lucky that life turned out the way it did.

Looking back on my teenage years, I couldn’t wait to leave school so could start earning a wage. I needed money not education, and I wanted an outdoor life in the sun. I knew I couldn’t be happy in an office or a factory so I chose gardening.

I was taught how to grow a wide range of fruit and vegetables and how to use them but I soon realised I would need that education after all if I wanted to climb the horticultural ladder.

The result was a career that took me across the UK, dabbling in fruit production, forestry, landscaping, education, and plant propagation.

In the early years money was tight so I needed an allotment to grow food. The aim was to be self-sufficient all year round – a difficult task back then but one that’s been made a lot easier with the aid of fridges and freezers.

Gone are the days when I’d make 110 jars of jam (two jars a week) during the berry season to be stored in a cool shed over the next 12 months.

In my younger years life was very active so a diet of sausages, burgers and mince and chips was soon burnt off.

I called a halt to eating rubbish in my 30s and in came health food, apart from the odd relapse at Christmas or when my daughters needed help getting through their Easter eggs.

I now pay attention to which foods give you the most benefits and my research results in some very interesting reading. Green vegetables, roots and salads are now everyday crops grown on the allotment but it’s the fruits that really give you that extra boost.

My health food favourites include chokeberries, blackcurrants, saskatoons, blueberries, brambles, cherries, figs, rhubarb and black grapes.

The dark colour of these berries comes from the high levels of anthocyanin, an antioxidant. The fruits are also packed with dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals.

Antioxidants prevent free radicals from damaging cell components and the berries have been shown to help in the fight against heart disease, cancer, diabetes and dementia. Studies have demonstrated that they also reduce the absorption of high cholesterol and can delay macular degeneration.

Pumpkins, tomatoes and peppers are three fruits which we tend to treat as vegetables but all three score very highly when it comes to health benefits.

Although they are seasonal crops, they can be stored easily for future use. My pumpkins usually store until early April and there’s always the freezer to take care of any surplus.

My healthy fruits include chokeberries, blackcurrants, saskatoons, blueberries, brambles, cherries, figs, rhubarb and black grapes

Chokeberries are not very common but they are one of the healthiest fruits on the planet, with very high levels of anthocyanin (1,480mg per 100g) and plenty of dietary fibre, plus vitamins A, C and E and the minerals potassium, iron and manganese.

They are too astringent to eat in any quantity straight off the bush but they can be juiced, cooked, added to compote or yoghurts and make a delicious jam and a healthy wine.

Blackcurrants, red and whitecurrants may only have half the level of anthocyanin, but at more than 700mg per 100g they still rate very highly in the health stakes. Like chokeberries, they are high in vitamins, dietary fibre and minerals and also give you calcium and zinc.

Saskatoons pack a punch when it comes to anthocyanin (562mg per 100g) and boast high levels of dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals.

They are extremely versatile – the berries can be eaten fresh, or frozen for future use in compote, summer puddings, juices and wines, as well as being added to cereals and yoghurts or cooked in cakes, oaties and jams.

Blueberries, brambles and black grapes are similar to the above (blueberries have 386mg per 100g anthocyanin) and mean you can carry on eating fresh healthy fruit from summer to winter.

The black outdoor grape Brant has pips but these are packed with goodness so instead of discarding them as a nuisance, give them a wee crunch and swallow them.

Not only are they anti-allergenic and anti-inflammatory, they strengthen blood vessels, aid circulation and improve skin elasticity.