June is bang in the middle of the British strawberry season so now is the pefect time to indulge in this delicious berry.
Packed with vitamin C, B1, pantothenic acid, vitamin K and powerful antioxidant flavonoid compounds the strawberry has benefits for immune health and reducing inflammation. Traditionally it was also mixed with baking powder and used as a tooth whitener!
The anti-inflammatory flavonoids in strawberries work to reduce the effects of inflammatory enzymes in our bodies and provide protection against conditions such as heart disease, cancer and arthritis.
Strawberries can be intensively sprayed during farming so select organic varieties where possible. The fruits are fragile and need careful handling to avoid spoiling; go for medium sized, ripe, red berries. Those grown overseas are picked before they are ripe to avoid damage during transportation however the fruits do not continue to ripen after picking so locally grown, freshly picked strawberries are always the tastiest!
For a delicious strawberry crumble recipe see: http://bit.ly/aM5ekO
