What you missed (or not!)

I finally snapped a photo of the delicious wineberries I bought at last Wednesday's market. I had my birthday this past Sunday and got to enjoy the berries with my sisters for a birthday breakfast after a birthday sleepover (yeah, I'm now 30, and no, you're never to old to have a sleepover!).

As you can see, wineberries are very similar to raspberries, albeit smaller and a bit more stout. Although they have a slightly dark rosy color, the berries had been in the fridge for a few days, so they darkened a bit more, and they're shiny like blackberries. They are juicy and soft with a very mild sweetness, but not really a distinctive flavor. Wineberry seeds were more easily crunched than those of raspberry, so they didn't stick in my teeth as much! Of course, personal perception is always subjective...

I learned from the Proffits that this berry is an exotic brought from Asia in the 1700-1800s to be cultivated as a garden fruit. As exotics will do, they escaped into the wild. The Proffits found some growing wild on their land some years back and took cuttings for personal cultivation. Now we get these delicate little treats for but a short time in the month of July.

I'd heard a rumor that they were good with vanilla ice cream. It's true, all that they say; I did try some with ice cream. But their flavor and sweetness are so subtle that I preferred to eat them sans accoutrements. Perhaps you can try some, too, next July!