by Lisa Giroday, Sandra Lopuch and Sam Philips | Bears and humans are stoked right now. It’s blackberry season in the city and in the wild, which means there’s a sudden abundance of food all around us. Some folks get theirs from the local farmers’ market, while other prefer to brave the thorns by foraging in patches that are either well known and annually anticipated or super secret. They do this by employing various methods, everything from bringing ladders, rolled carpets and wooden planks to climb up brambles to duct taping their shirt sleeves and plunging their arms straight in.

All the effort is for good reason, as the health benefits of blackberries are insane. They’re crammed full of antioxidants, which have a reputation for eradicating free radicals in the body that harm healthy cells and can lead to cancer. The ellagic acid in blackberries might also have anti-cancer properties. Only one cup of blackberries is half the recommended daily intake of vitamin C, so if you have a smoothie or a bowl of blackberries in the morning, you’re already halfway there, not to mention scurvy-free.

Blackberries also have naturally occurring phytoestrogens, or naturally occurring plant estrogens that help curb PMS and menopausal symptoms. Hear that, ladies? (Men, please eat these around the full moon for good measure) One cup of blackberries also contains over 30% of your recommended daily fibre intake, plus 36% of your vitamin K intake, which will help the body absorb calcium.

With all that in mind, you’ll probably want to bust out your blender for a smoothie. Go for it!

Blackberry & Kale Smoothie

2 good-sized kale leaves
1 cup frozen (or partially frozen) blackberries (so the smoothie is cold)
1-cup organic almond milk
1 tbsp local honey
1 tbsp organic chia seeds if you feel like

Method: You know what to do: Combine and BLEND!

THE VICTORY GARDENS ARCHIVE