Frozen foods are notorious for being laden with sodium, fat and artificial ingredients. Despite this stereotype, frozen berries come with a plethora of benefits for your health and wallet.

Berries contain the most nutrients at their peak ripeness. Once plucked and washed, berries are frozen almost immediately in turn preserving nutrients. The convenience of frozen berries allows you to enjoy their nutritious qualities year round.

In fact, frozen berries are perhaps superior to fresh when nutrients are stacked up against each other. In the US, fresh berries may take anywhere between 3 days to weeks in transit before arriving at a distribution center. Over time, nutrients diminish due to oxidation.

The Superfood for this month is berries and to celebrate, I’ve included some unberryable facts.

Did You Know…

• Strawberries have more vitamin C per serving than an orange
• Raspberries can be found in assorted colors including gold, black and purple, but red raspberries are the most common
• Technically, the blackberry is a drupelet, or a cluster of fruits, like a bunch of grapes
• Anthocyanins, flavonoids thought to help protect our brains give blackberries their glossy, dark color
• Blueberries don’t have as much vitamin C as other berries but are packed with other phytonutrients
• To ensure your berries star fresh, keep them dry and only wash right before you eat them

For storage, leafy greens should be placed in a sealable bag along with a clean, dry paper towel and then into the vegetable drawer. Replace the paper towel every few days and keep doing so for up to three weeks for a head of lettuce or about a week for loose leaves like spinach. The paper towel will absorb the moisture therefore keeping your greens crisp. So long sogginess and stay fresh everyone!