Organic Goji Berries by Food to Live — 3 pounds

Organic goji berries, dried or otherwise, are used in a great number of ways. Himalayan natural goji berries, in particular, have been a staple ingredient in the ancient herbal medicine for millennia. Today people make various types of goji berry capsules with the extract of this fruit or just powdered berries.

However, no goji berry supplement is as good as the fruit itself because these products are unregulated and might contain a variety of ‘not so good’ elements. You also need to understand that health benefits of any food are the sum of all its parts. Goji berry contains a unique combination of phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber. Singling out some of these elements and packing them into pills reduces their efficiency.

Therefore, if you want to truly get all the most important goji berry benefits, you’ll need to enjoy dried or fresh berries. The former is the easiest to include in meals because fresh berries taste bad.

Possible culinary uses of organic goji berries include:

• Trail mixes
• Cereals
• Baked goods
• Salads
• Desserts
• Sauces
• Stews

You can include dried goji berries in virtually any recipe, even homemade beauty products. This particular use is getting more popular today as the growing awareness of goji berry benefits made cosmetics manufacturers realize what a great ingredient this is.

Today you can find a goji berry face cream or serum that infuses your skin with nutrients and potent antioxidants. However, you can also make a face mask on your own. For example, soak some dried goji berries and process them in a blender, adding a bit of honey.

In order to enrich your regular meal plan with organic goji berries, you can start by adding a handful of them to your morning cereal or smoothie. This will increase the calorie count of the meal very little, but the nutritional benefits will be great.

Dried goji berries also taste amazing in vegetable salads when paired with tomatoes. Reconstitute them beforehand to improve the texture. You can add these berries to your pizza topping, curry, chili, and even an omelet.

If you want to make a delicious, antioxidant-rich goji berry drink, reconstitute dried fruits and include them in the fruit or vegetable mix you are about to juice. Pure goji berry juice is made by slow-cooking fresh berries and it requires a lot of sugar to be drinkable. Mixing the berries with other ingredients allows you to get the benefits without the hassle and extra-sugar.

Dried Goji Berries and Weight Management

Snacking on dried goji berries can help you achieve your weight management goals. This is a low-calorie food as far as dried fruits go and it provides you with a huge amount of nutrients. Goji berries are also rich in dietary fiber.

Goji Berry Nutrients List

Organic goji berries can be considered a superfood because they contain an extraordinary amount of nutrients. Every serving of these fruits gives you:

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin B2 (and other B vitamins in smaller doses)
• Copper
• Selenium
• Potassium
• Zinc
• Iron

As they are so nutrient-dense, goji berries are good for vegans and vegetarians as these people need good food sources of iron, in particular. They also benefit from zinc and selenium, which aren’t very common elements in plant foods.

The Power of Goji Berry Tea

Goji berry tea is delicious and will go well with ice during hot summer months or hot with your favorite blanket when you need some extra comfort in winter. In both cases, this beverage will provide you with a great number of strengthening vitamins and minerals.

To make this healthful goji berry drink, soak ¼ cup of dried organic goji berries in 3 cups of hot water. Let the tea steep for 20-60 minutes and enjoy after adding your sweetener of choice.

Goji Berry Taste: Fresh Vs. Dried

The natural taste of goji berries is downright unpleasant, so very few people can eat them as they are. Fresh fruits are even more bitter than their dried counterparts as they contain less sugar per gram of the fruit. Therefore, goji berries are one of the few foods that are actually better dried.

Dehydration reduces their nutritional value to some extent. However, these berries contain so much of both vitamins and minerals that those losses don’t make them less beneficial for you.

Dried goji berries can be eaten as they are, but the taste gets some getting used to. If you mix them with other dried fruits and nuts for a raw midday snack, you’ll be able to enjoy them quite a bit.

How Much Goji Berry Should You Eat Per Day?

There is no ‘maximum dosage’ of goji berries per day as the food doesn’t contain any dangerous toxic elements. However, you should remember that dried fruits are higher in calories than fresh, so if you are on a weight management diet, you’ll need to regulate the amount of these snacks.

Usually, ¼ – ½ of a cup is the ideal amount of dried organic goji berries per day. This can be considered as one of the daily servings of fruit. Note that healthy eating guidelines require 2 cups of fruit per day. However, when it comes to dried fruit, the proportion is 1:2 (one part of dry produce equals 2 parts of fresh). Consider this when counting your calories.

Dried Goji Berries: Recipes
In essence, you can use dried organic goji berries in any recipe that calls for dry fruits. Due to their taste, berries can complement the flavor of both sweet and sour dishes. This means that you can add them into any salad or stew to boost its nutritional value without adding too many calories.

This versatility also allows including a few goji berries in any type of smoothie. In most cases, you won’t even taste them at all as the flavor will be covered by other ingredients.

Reconstituting goji berries before cooking isn’t necessary. However, this will allow you to enhance their flavor and make them more ‘pliable’, which is good for some recipes. To rehydrate the berries, soak them in water, juice or wine for 15-30 minutes.

Goji Berries + Cacao Truffles

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons dried goji berries
• 1 cup hazelnuts
• 8 medjool dates (large and pitted)
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 4 tablespoons raw cacao powder
• 2 tablespoons goji berry powder

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients except for goji berry powder and process them in a blender until smooth. This will take a bit of time and the final product will be quite sticky, so wet your hands with warm water when you start handling the ‘truffle dough’.
2. Form truffles with your hands. It would be best to take the mixture by a spoonful and roll it carefully.
3. Roll the truffles in goji berry powder. This will make them more nutritious and less sticky at the same time.
4. Refrigerate truffles for no less than 30 minutes before serving.

These delicious goji berry dessert can keep for up to a week in the fridge. Be sure to put the truffles back into the refrigerator after the meal as they will get too sticky and soft if left at room temperature.

Can You Buy Organic Goji Berries in Bulk?

You certainly can buy organic goji berries (dried) in bulk. This product doesn’t spoil for years if you store it correctly, because dried foods are designed to last. This is why they usually have the ‘best by’ date.

Store dried goji berries in an airtight container and keep it sealed at all times. Don’t leave it out in the sunlight or next to any heat sources as high temperatures speed up the breaking down of the nutrients.

The shelf life of organic goji berries will depend on where you keep them:

• Cool pantry – 6-12 months
• Fridge – 12-24 months
• Freezer – indefinite

If you choose to freeze dried goji berries, pack them into smaller containers right away as refreezing will damage the texture and greatly reduce the nutritional value of the fruit.