Off the Beaten Berry Path

If you're a berry lover, you'll always be loyal to the beauties of summer: sweet strawberries, juicy raspberries and plump blueberries. But when it comes to loving berries, it's okay to stray. Berries are, after all, wild fruit. Our ancestors survived by foraging in the woods for handfuls of the healthful gems. You can do a little exploring of your own and add a healthy punch to summer's best recipes. Sprinkled into your daily menu or stirred into fresh new jam and preserve recipes, the effect is magical.

Even their names are poetic: elderberry, loganberry, dewberry and currant. Considering what they can add to your summer flavor palette, you may never again settle for just the familiar jam.

When you're ready to go "off the beaten path," here are some of the best rare fruits to try:

• Loganberry: Some berry aficionados believe the loganberry is a hybrid developed from wild blackberries in the UK and dewberries (a trailing variety of blackberries) in the U.S. Others think they are a raspberry-blackberry hybrid. Whatever their origins, the large, conical-shaped berries have a slightly acidic taste and have a more pleasingly aggressive character than their raspberry cousins. Use them in recipes calling for raspberries.
• Gooseberry: Harvesting them can be quite a prickly experience, but they make fabulous pies and jams. The gooseberry has some of the best flavor properties of tart apples and sweet strawberries, but with an indescribable taste all its own. You're more likely to find gooseberries in northern climates featuring cold winters and cool summers.
• Boysenberry: This raspberry relative is a hybrid of strawberries, raspberries, dewberries and loganberries. They look like large and juicy blackberries; their pale flesh has a rich, sweet-sour flavor.
• Currants: The currant-whether red or black-has enjoyed centuries of popularity in Great Britain. The tart, tangy flavor shines with meat and game dishes. And the shiny red varieties are stunning in desserts, jams, jellies and sauces.

Now that your mouth is watering, where can you get your hands on a supply of off-beat berries: Most purists insist on foraging. But pick-your-own farms and farmers' markets are a convenient source. And you can always grow your own.

However you find these precious jewels, you can taste summer to its fullest by wandering "off the beaten berry path."

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