Berries are an important food source and have been revered in literature and history, but we take them for granted. Raspberries are red because Zeus' nursemaid Ida, pricked her finger on the thorns, Mark Twain immortalized huckleberries in his novel of 1884 and Robert Frost and Sylvia Plath, amongst many other poets, wrote on the joys of berry picking.

In the kitchen berries are all around performers, enhancing sweet and savory dishes. They can be preserved as jams, jellies, curds, or chutneys and bottled in sugar or alcohol. Cakes, biscuits, and puddings are all better for the...