"strawberries" news and stories

They're delicious in shortcake and make amazing ice cream, but a new study suggests strawberries might also have the power to fight cancer.

Ohio State University researchers found that freeze-dried strawberries slowed the growth of dysplastic, or precancerous, lesions in people who consumed the fruit for six months, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The study was aimed specifically at esophageal cancer, the sixth most frequent cause of cancer death in the world. (There are about 16,000 new cases each year, according to the American Cancer Society.) The research was done in China, where patients consumed 30 grams of freeze-dried strawberries dissolved in a glass of water twice daily for six months, reports the WSJ.

The freeze-dried strawberries are about 10 times as concentrated as fresh, but the study's lead researcher suggested people could still benefit from eating whole strawberries on a daily basis.

So far, no one has been able to pinpoint exactly what it is in the berries that's battling cancer cells. But until they know, you might want to hedge your bets and throw a few extra strawberries into that smoothie.

It's been a brutal winter across much of the country, but spring is finally peeking its head out from under those snow drifts. Want to celebrate? YumSugar has tips on cooking up five of springtime's most iconic foods. We all love those first sweet strawberries, but this year, instead of shortcake, why not use them to make a rich ice cream bursting with fruit flavor? More of a rhubarb fan? Harness its captivating sweet-tart flavor in a delicate salad. They've given you the ideas, now it's up to you. So hit up your local farmer's market and get cooking -- these recipes will make any meal just a little bit brighter.

Get the full list -- and the recipes -- at YumSugar.com.

The newest pesticide to be approved? It's a nasty one. Methyl iodide, for use on strawberry fields. The highly reactive stuff has been deemed toxic and carcinogenic but is now licensed in 47 states, including, most recently, California, where most of our country's strawberries are grown. Environmental groups and farmworkers are in an uproar.

The San Francisco Chronicle notes that even though "more than two dozen California legislators and 54 scientists, including six Nobel laureates," signed a letter opposing registration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved of the pesticide as an alternative to methyl bromide "which was being phased out because it was found to damage the ozone layer" back in 2007.

California approved use of the chemical late last month, right before Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger left office, but opposing groups -- "Earthjustice and California Rural Legal Assistance Inc. on behalf of the United Farm Workers of America and several pesticide reform groups" -- filed suit on account of an "irresponsible and illegal" decision by the state to approve such a toxic product, which "violates the California Environmental Quality Act, the California Birth Defects Prevention Act and the Pesticide Contamination Prevention Act."

Produced by Arysta Life-Science Corp, methyl iodide is said to be injected into the ground and can be applied to the plant and the fruit but claims no detectable effect on the fruit. Farmworkers feeling the burning effects in their eyes and throats would disagree.

Happy National Strawberry Shortcake Day!

Though shortcake is a European invention, the creation of strawberry shortcake was one of American ingenuity, stemming as far back as the mid 1800s. The first recorded recipe of the dessert can be found in "Miss Leslie's Ladies Recipe Book," published in 1847, as different as it may be from what we currently consider strawberry shortcake: The first recipe for strawberry cake used a pie-like crust, cut in half and stuffed with mashed strawberries, with a sugar frosting.

Today traditional strawberry shortcakes rely upon rich biscuit casings and whipping cream toppings, but otherwise haven't evolved too much. For a simple classic version, check out Martha Stewart's simple Strawberry Shortcake recipe.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot at having your photos featured on the site.

It's a soup, it's a dessert, it's a fruity, chilled-out refresher to end a meal. June is strawberry season -- time to eat bowls of berries and cream and to bake some biscuits for shortcake. Try something new, with this recipe for strawberry and lavender soup, from blogger twohelmets, who adds the crisp Portuguese wine vinho verde (literally, "green wine") to give it sparkle. Add a pinch of lavender, a bay leaf and then garnish each bowl with a basil leaf, for an undertone of herbs.

Gazpacho also goes berry-licious and minty in this recipe from Kitchen Daily.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool for a shot of having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.