Berries -Creating food traditions

Australia being a young country made up of many cultures as an ever changing food traditions.Each region , even parts of regions have very different seasons and range of produce that grow and so develop their own recipes and way of using foods. Unfortunately if you pick up a magazine or heaven forbid see a TV cooking show you can almost grantee  the regional seasonal foods are missing or worse they are among a vast array of ingredients  (usually ingredients that are not in season at the same time)designed to kill off any fresh  subtle flavours.
Early Summer here in the Adelaide Hills is usually about berries, as well the orchard produces a wonderful  perfume from the chestnut and linden flowers and waves of common brown butterflies and dragonflies fill the air.The vegies are just starting with an abundance of fresh greens, carrots, beans and the first of the Richmond green cucumbers.

When people think of berries they usually think in terms of adding cream, ice-cream or toping a pavlova.(this is what our customers tell us ) a lot of recipe books cook, sieve or  sauce thus loosing all those fresh subtle flavours. I prefer to enjoy them as they are usually at room temperature. 
Here at Nirvana they form an important ingredient that adds something special to a wide variety of foods.

Raspberries- go well in green salads. add great flavour as well as colour as they are ready long before tomatoes	Red & White Currants- add unique tarty sweetness and colour. go well in green salads, or with carrots. Use in fruit punches or to decorate drinks and cakes
Blackcurrants-are magic in a green salad as they add a real zing.	Gooseberries- add tang and crunch to green salad. they are great on the barbie.Just as the rest of the food is cooked roll on a handful.The skin is quite tough so can withstand the heat.They are ready just as the skin starts to blister.A nice little fruit bomb. Goes well with meat or fish.   Similarly they can be added to stir fries in the same way.