Make the most of summer's bountiful berries

I'm sad to say we've picked the last strawberries from our patch, but we certainly haven't eaten our last berries of the season.

Blueberries, blackberries and raspberries are plentiful in stores and farmers markets; and if you know where to look you'll find mulberries (come on over, they're dropping by the bushel full in my back yard) and wild raspberries ready for picking.

Here are a couple quick berry-infused recipes to try while the gettin's good.

Blueberry Marinade with Tarragon and Ginger comes from the American Institute for Cancer Research. In a blender or food processor, combine 1 cup fresh blueberries, 2 tablespoons each balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon honey, 1½

teaspoons dried tarragon, 1 teaspoon fresh ginger root, peeled and minced (or 1 teaspoon dried ground ginger), 1 garlic clove, minced, and ½

teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and puree 10 seconds. Pour into a jar with a tightly fitting lid and let stand 15 minutes to let flavors meld. Adjust seasonings to taste. Shake vigorously then pour over poultry or fish, coating on all sides. Marinate, refrigerated, for at least 15 minutes; turn and marinate another 15 minutes.

For a cool treat, try Blackberry-Chocolate Frozen Yogurt from Driscoll's Berries.

In a blender container or food processor bowl, combine 16 ounces vanilla low-fat yogurt, ½

cup of blackberries, ¼

cup corn syrup and 2 tablespoons sugar. Cover and blend or process until almost smooth. Pour mixture into ice cream freezer container. Repeat. Freeze mixture in an electric ice cream freezer according to manufacturer's directions.

Remove dasher from freezer. Add 1½

cups berries and ½

cup chopped chocolate; stir to distribute. Return to freezer for 4 hours.

Fizzy fun: The folks at SodaStream convinced me to try their at-home soda maker touting its "green" attributes. No cans, cardboard cases, plastic bottles or plastic can rings are heading into landfills.

I'm not convinced SodaStream is the answer to global warming (you have to have the kit shipped, because I've yet to spot it in any stores), but we sure have had some fun with it.

The device shoots carbonation into any liquid you put into the specially designed liter bottle. You can purchase syrups from SodaStream to create everything from lemon-lime and root beer sodas to diet pink grapefruit and orange drinks. The pink grapefruit was a hit at my 9-year-old's end-of-school pizza party and both my sons love showing friends the gadget and drinking their homemade root beer. Come to think of it, I haven't bought a case of Barq's yet this summer.

I like that the plastic bottles are reusable and you don't have to use the SodaStream syrups. You can give fizz to flavored waters, lemonade, even wine.

Cool it: Speaking of wine, did you know many red wines should be served at cooler than room temperature. They don't have to be as chilled as a Pinot Gris, but they shouldn't be at 70 degrees. If served too warm, the alcohol overwhelms the flavor, masking fruit and other notes.

Instead of trying to make room in the freezer to give your Merlot a quick chill, grab for the Ravi Instant Wine Refresher.

This hand-held device stays in your freezer until you're ready to use it. Then simply screw it into the bottle neck and pour. The wine spirals through a tube encased in the frozen shell and comes out about 12 degrees cooler.

The Ravi Instant Wine Refresher costs about $40 and is available at specialty wine shops or online at WineEnthusiast.com.

Now if you want to keep your white wine chilled while sipping on your patio, here's an affordable solution: refreezable plastic ice cubes.

My son spied some fun fruit-shaped "cubes" at Target and wanted them so his homemade root beer wouldn't get watered down by real ice. I've found them perfect for keeping my wine and cocktails chilled.

• Contact Food Editor Deborah Pankey at food@dailyherald.com.