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| | Strawberry Facts and Trivia
See this page for easy
strawberry jam and preserves recipes and complete directions. And
this page shows you how to
freeze strawberries to use later!
- Berries on a
straw? There is a legend that strawberries were named in the
nineteenth-century by English children who picked the fruit, strung them on
grass straws and sold them as "Straws of berries". Another theory
is the name was derived from the nineteenth-century practice (ands still today,
although most farms use raised beds, enclosed in plastic) of placing straw
around the growing berry plants to protect the ripening fruit. But the
most widely held view is that the name Strawberry was derived from the berries
that are "strewn" about on the plants, and the name "strewn berry" eventually
morphed into "Strawberry".
- Fragrant
- The strawberry belongs to the genus Fragraria in the rose family, along with apples and plums. The name of the
scientific classification was derived from the Old Latin word for fragrant.
The modern Italian word for strawberry is still "Fragola".
- Very berry
or not? The strawberry is not classified by botanists as
a true berry. True berries, such as blueberries and cranberries have seeds
inside. The strawberry, however has its dry, yellow
"seeds" on the outside (each of which is actually considered a
separate fruit).
- Native American
Indians called strawberries
"heart-seed berries" and pounded them into their traditional corn-meal
bread. Discovering the great taste of the Native Americans bread, colonists
decided to create their own version, which became an American favorite that we
all know and love .. Strawberry Shortcake.
- Ornamental
value - The
English and French also found strawberries used the
beautiful heart-shaped berries to landscape their gardens. In fourteenth-century
France, Charles V ordered twelve hundred strawberry plants to be grown in the
Royal Gardens of the Louvre.
- Lovely berries - Strawberries
have long been associated with love and flirtation. At wedding breakfasts in provincial
France, newlyweds traditionally were served a soup of thinned sour cream,
strawberries, borage and powdered sugar. Miss that "borage"....
- Seedy
characters - On the average, there are 200 tiny seeds in
every strawberry. If all the strawberries produced in California this year were
laid berry to berry, they'd wrap around the world 15 times. That's enough
strawberries to provide every U.S. household with 12 pint baskets.
- Are you weird?
Respondents
to a recent national survey labeled strawberry lovers as "health conscious,
fun loving, intelligent and happy." Non-strawberry lovers, on the other
hand, were described as "weird, boring, stuffy--picky, fussy eaters who
avoid healthy foods."
Healthy Tips and Nutritional Facts
- Eight medium-sized strawberries contain 140% of the
U.S. RDA for Vitamin C. One cup of fresh strawberries provides about 88 milligrams of ascorbic acid,
which more than meets the Recommended Daily Dietary allowance of 45
milligrams for the average adult. Vitamin C is well retained when the
strawberries are handled carefully. Capping, injuring, cutting, or juicing,
however, will reduce the vitamin content.
- Strawberries are low in calories: one cup of unsweetened strawberries
has only 55 calories.
- In addition, strawberries are good sources of folic
acid, potassium and fiber. Strawberries are also fat-free and low in calories.
- If you're expecting a baby, you'll be very
interested in some of the new discoveries about folic acid. In fact, 8
strawberries have 20% of the folic acid you need every day.
- Fresh juice from sieved strawberry pulp has
a cooling effect on feverish patients. For a cooling and purifying drink, either
pour water on crushed berries or chop the berries roughly and whirl in a blender
with a little water.
- As part of the 5-a-day program suggested by
the American Cancer Institute, strawberries can also play a part in helping you
to reduce the risk of cancer or heart disease.
- Strawberry juice combined with honey will
reduce inflammation or sunburn. Rub the mixture thoroughly into the skin before
rinsing off with warm water and lemon juice.
California Strawberries
- From the end of September through the end of October,
strawberries are planted and harvesting occurs from mid- December through
mid-July in Ventura County, CA, which produces more than 27 percent of the
state's strawberries. The peak harvesting season in California runs from April
through June, when up to 10 million pint baskets of strawberries are shipped
daily.
- The largest producing state, California
harvests 83% of the strawberries grown in the U.S. on approximately 24,500
acres. And with about 5,000 commercial acres, Florida is the second largest
producing state. Ideal temperature for strawberry plants should not exceed
higher than 78 degrees or lower than 55 degrees.
- Every strawberry plant is hand-picked
approximately every three days. This is the time in which it takes for
strawberries to complete their cycle of turning from green to white to red.
There is no storage of fresh strawberries. After picking, they are rushed to
coolers where huge fans extract the field heat. Then they are delivered to
supermarkets across the country via refrigerated trucks.
Strawberry Fun Facts and
Trivia courtesy of The
California Strawberry Commission
Also see this excellent PDF file from the University of California : "Strawberries:
safe methods to preserve, save and enjoy"
Strawberry desert recipes:
Strawberry Fluff
Here's a tasty desert that can also be very healthy!
- 1 (15-ounce) can fruit cocktail, or your favorite fruit, dice into 1/2
inch cubes
- 2 cups slice strawberries
- 1 (12-ounce) container of whipped cream, topping, Cool-Whip, etc. If you
use a fat free version of these, it can be healthier!
- 1 (3-ounce) box wild strawberry gelatin
- 1 cup cottage cheese (large or small curd); again regular, low fat or
fat free.
- Drain juice from the fruit cocktail (you can save it to drink, if you
like)
- Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
- Refrigerate overnight.
- Keep refrigerated until ready to serve
Yield: 6-8 servings.
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