Know Your Fruits and Veggies™ - Strawberries
By Dawn Swidorski, Public Outreach DirectorStrawberries and
summer go hand in hand. They are the first fruit that appears in northern
climates and produce until early fall. Of course in more temperate parts of the
US strawberries may be produced year round.The most common
scientific names for strawberry are Fragaria virginiana and Fragaria
chilioensis and belong to the family Rosaceae (rose).
They are fragrant
and have a sweet flavor. There are more than 600 varieties of strawberries and
though they vary slightly in flavor, size and texture, they are all marked by
red flesh with “seeds” on the surface and a small, green cap and stem that sits
on top. The “seeds” of the strawberry are really the fruit while the red fleshy
part (what we call the fruit) is the “receptacle” that holds the parts of the
flower together. Each strawberry averages 200 “seeds”.
In addition to
strawberries that are cultivated, there are wild varieties though they are much
smaller in size and have a more intense flavor. Strawberries have grown wild
for millennia in temperature regions throughout the world. They have been
cultivated for well over 2000 years and were highly favored in ancient Rome. After the fall of
Rome they were primarily used for medicinal purposes.
In fact, Native
American’s ate wild strawberries to help with colds. Juice from the
wild strawberry was combined with water and used to soothe reddened
eyes. A tea made from dried strawberry plant leaves was used for kidney trouble
and helped relieve stomach trouble and saved the American Revolutionary Army
from scurvy.
In the early 18th
century a natural cross breeding of a North American and South American
strawberry occurred in France. The result was a hybrid strawberry that was
large, juicy and sweet, and one that quickly grew in popularity in Europe.Strawberries were
considered a luxury item until the mid-1800’s when railways allowed
strawberries to be shipped longer distances and more people began to enjoy
them.
The strawberry is now the most popular berry fruit in the world and the
most popular in the US. In fact, 94% of
American households consume strawberries an average of 3.4 pounds of fresh each
year and another 1.8 pounds frozen. Strawberries can
be used in beverages, soups, salads, sauces, salsas, desserts, and dried for
trail mix or fruit leather.Strawberries are
brimming with nutrients and antioxidants and have more vitamin C then an
orange! They are low fat, low calorie and make the top ten must eat list.
To
learn more about strawberries.
Unfortunately,
some people have an allergic response when eating strawberries. Symptoms may
mimic hay fever or include dermatitis or hives, and in severe cases may cause
breathing problems.
The United
States, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Australia and New Zealand are among the
largest commercial producers of strawberries. Like many fruits
and vegetables, the need to ship them long distances has resulted in hybrids
that are often lacking taste. They look good, they ship well, but they are
devoid of that wonderfully sweet flavor of some of the more “delicate”
varieties.
If you can
purchase your Strawberries at a local farmer’s market do so -- you will be
rewarded with a superior product over the grocery store variety. But even better,
are the
hundreds of farms around the country that allow you to pick your own
strawberries. It’s a great way to spend the day with family and you can always
freeze or make jam if you go strawberry crazy!
Strawberry
Picking TipsAlways call
before you head out to the farm, as strawberries are adversely affected by cold
weather or rain. So before you make the trip make sure it’s going to be worth
your while. Ask whether the farm provides free containers for picking or if you
need to bring your own.The best time to
pick strawberries is in the morning when it is still cool outside. Also on
weekends, if there is a high turnout a field can easily be picked clean by
noon!Bring a hat and
sunscreen to protect you from the sun; knee pads can also add comfort. Be sure
to bring water and maybe a small snack – picking fruit can work up an appetite
and it’s not nice to eat strawberries you haven’t paid for.
Tips on How to
Pick Strawberries1. Be careful
that your feet and knees do not damage plants or fruit in or along the edge of
the row. This is the farmer’s livelihood
and your source for fresh delicious strawberries so treat the area
respectfully.
2. You can help
the farmers by removing berries showing rot, sunburn, or insect injury from the
plants and placing them between the rows behind you. If left in the plants, the
rot will spread to other berries.
3. Strawberries
do not ripen after picking so be certain to select only those berries that are
fully red all the way to the crown of the berry.
4. Lightly grasp
the stem just above the berry between the forefinger and the thumbnail and
pull
with a slight twisting motion. The stem should break about one-half inch from
the berry.
5. Let the berry
roll into the palm of your hand.
6. Repeat the
process (you can use both hands) until you’re holding 2 - 4 berries without
crushing or bruising them.
7. Gently place
the fruit into your container – rough handling will damage the berries.
8. Don't overfill
your containers or pack the berries down – once your container is full to about
5 inches switch to a new container.
9. Be sure to
part the leaves with your hands to look for hidden berries ready for harvest.
10. Get your
strawberries out of the sun as soon as possible after picking.
Strawberries can
only be stored in the refrigerator for 3 – 4 days. Don’t wash your strawberries
until you are ready to use them (if you are going to freeze them there is an
exception to this rule). Place the
strawberries in layers separated by paper towels inside a plastic container or
Ziploc bag and store carefully in the refrigerator where they won’t get
bruised. For anything
longer than 3 – 4 days the strawberries will need to be frozen or turned into
jam or strawberry leather.
To freeze
strawberries, gently rinse them and pat them dry. You can either remove the cap
and stem or leave it intact if freezing them whole. You may also freeze them
cut or crushed depending upon how you are going to use them after thawing – but
freezing whole preserves a higher concentration of vitamin C. Adding a bit of
lemon juice to the berries will help to preserve their color.
If freezing whole
or cut arrange them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and place them in the
freezer. Once frozen, transfer the berries to a heavy plastic bag and return
them to the freezer where they will keep for up to one year.
