We are in the midst of berry season. All of those vibrant, sweet fruits are calling to us from roadside stands, farmer’s markets, and grocery stores. While my children may attempt to devour the berries as soon as they are purchased, I try to hold a few back to use in easy summer recipes.

The refrigerator shelf life for berries is pretty short, especially with strawberries or raspberries. It often seems that you bring them home from the store and find them spoiling within a few short hours. Once you bring your fresh berries home, the key to keeping them fresh is to kill any spores on the fruit. Here is a quick tip to keep your berries fresher, longer:

1-Place the berries in a large bowl and wash them in a vinegar-water bath: 1 cup of white vinegar and 8 cups of water.
2-Let the berries sit in the bath for 2 or 3 minutes, gently moving them to help dislodge any dirt, grime and letting the vinegar kill spores and bacteria.

3-Drain the berries in a colander and rinse the fruit to remove any vinegar flavor.
4- Allow to dry on a towel, gently patting them with paper or cloth towels.
5 -Store the washed and dried fruit in a container that has been lined with paper towels. I prefer to wash the original container they came in and then re-use it.

Staying cool during the dog days of summer is no easy task.  I find his time of year my desire to bury my head like an ostrich in a gallon of ice cream becomes pretty intense. I mean who doesn’t want some cold, delicious, creamy, sugary, melty goodness on a hot day once in a while?  Or every day…twice a day….or your know, three times? Ok, sorry I lost myself there for a moment but, I’m back!  My point being is that, as wonderful as it is to indulge in ice cream now and again, over indulging it will do nothing for your bathing suit bod.  So why not trade that high-fat, creamy, delight for a lower calorie option like granita. This chilly treat is sure to hit the spot…and I mean the taste spot, not that squishy spot on your hips where all delicious things seem to land!  If made with fresh oranges granita, has far less sugar than most standard ice creams plus, it is fat-free.  You can also substitute even lower-calorie options as sweetners.  For example, sweeten to your taste with stevia or artificial sweeteners like Splenda or SweetNlow (though I personally try and steer clear of chemically processed sweeteners) instead of sugar.