The Amazing World of Strawberries

There are more than 600 varieties of strawberries from which to choose. In addition to the cultivated berries, there are also many wild varieties. They are smaller than the ones you buy in the supermarket, but in many cases they have a much better flavor.

When I was a small child, our next-door neighbors had a large strawberry patch in their back yard. Every evening, near my bedtime, my mother would go out and lock the gate that separated our yards. As soon as she got back into the house, our neighbors would come out and unlock the gate. They knew that the next morning, before anyone else woke up, I would slip out of the house and head for their strawberry patch. So, every morning, my mother would find me in the strawberry patch with red juice all over myself. Those berries were so good just after the morning sun had warmed them.

Years later, I married and had a child of my own who loved strawberries as much as I did. We owned some property in the country, where we kept our horses and had a small garden. This, of course, included a strawberry patch. Every evening when we went out to feed the horses, Joe would take his little bucket to the garden to pick strawberries, but I would never allow him to eat them until we got home to wash them. One evening Joe disappeared, and after looking all over the farm, we found him in the pasture eating his strawberries that he had just washed in the horses’ water bucket.

Health Benefits

Strawberries are members of the rose family, and they are unique because they are the only fruit to have seeds on the outside. They are claimed to have many medicinal uses. The Romans believed that the berries eased these symptoms:

• Melancholy
• Fainting
• Inflammations
• Fevers
• Throat infections
• Kidney stones
• Halitosis
• Attacks of gout
• Diseases of the blood, liver, and spleen

Strawberries are filled with an antioxidant that helps protect cell structures in the body and prevents oxygen damage in the body’s organ systems. They help protect your heart; they help prevent cancer, and they help fight inflammation. The antioxidant, called phenols, works much like aspirin or ibuprofen to block pain, but strawberries do not cause intestinal bleeding.

Another substance in the fruit, called ellagitannin, has been associated with declines in cancer deaths. In one study, those eating the most strawberries were three times less likely to develop cancer than those eating few or no strawberries.

In animal studies, researchers have found that strawberries help to protect the brain from stress and the effects of age. Scientists who fed elderly rats with strawberries discovered they had increased learning capacity and motor skills.

Strawberries are a natural super food and excellent sources of:

• Vitamin C
• Vitamin K
• Manganese
• Dietary fiber, iodine, potassium, folate
• Riboflavin
• Vitamin B5
• Omega-3 fatty acids
• Vitamin B6
• Magnesium
• Copper

I’m sure we’ve all been told when we were children that carrots would improve our eyesight. Now it seems that fruit is more important for our sight. Eating three or more servings of fruit a day may lower your risk of macular degeneration, the primary cause of vision loss in older adults. That seems like a lot of fruit, but there are so many different ways to eat strawberries:

1. Put them on your cereal in the morning
2. Dress up your green salad with strawberry slices
3. Mix them with yogurt or cottage cheese
4. Serve them in your desserts
5. Blend them in your smoothies
6. Eat them as a snack

Any way you serve a strawberry, it is delicious.

History

Strawberries have grown wild for millions of years and throughout the world. The first cultivated strawberries appeared sometime before the Christian era and were highly prized by the early Romans. During the Middle Ages, they reappeared in Europe. They did not gain widespread popularity. Even though cultivation techniques were advanced, the berries of the time were not very fragrant or sweet.

Dr. William Butler, a 17th Century English writer, said “Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did.” The strawberries are the best of berries, and they have always been associated with purity, passion, and healing.

When the Colonists arrived in America, they found the American Indians eating bread made of crushed strawberries and cornmeal. After trying it, the Colonials developed their own version of the recipe. Strawberry shortcake was created.

In 1714, while a French engineer was in Chile and Peru to monitor Spanish activities there, he discovered a native strawberry that was much larger than the ones at home. He brought back samples to France. There, they began crossbreeding with a North American variety. The result was a hybrid that was large, juicy, and sweet. It became immediately popular in Europe.

Until the middle of the 19th century, strawberries were enjoyed mostly by the wealthy alone. However, as transportation improved, strawberries began to be shipped to other parts of the world, and more people were able to enjoy them. Strawberries are now the most popular berry fruit in the world. The major producers are the United States, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.

How to Select and Store

Strawberries are very perishable, therefore they cannot be stored for more than two or three days. Choose berries that are plump, red with attached caps, firm, and free from mold. They will not ripen any more once they are picked, so avoid those that have yellow or green patches. They will not be as flavorful as the red ones. Medium sized berries usually have a better flavor than the very large ones. Strawberries can be kept in the refrigerator for one or two days. Frozen berries will last up to one year.

Safety

Allergic reactions can occur with virtually any food, but some foods cause more problems than others. Strawberries are high on the list of foods causing allergic reactions. Commercially produced berries may also contain traces of pesticides. If you want to avoid strawberries with pesticide residues, choose only those that are grown organically.

Home Gardens

Strawberries make an excellent crop for home gardens. They produce fruit very quickly and require little space. Each plant may produce up to a quart of berries during the first year. When the plants are cared for properly, they will be productive for up to five years.

Planting

Strawberries should be planted in the spring as soon as weather permits and the soil is dry enough to till. In the South, they can also be planted during the fall. You simply need to cover the plants with a layer of mulch to protect them from the cold. Choose your site carefully. You need a place in your garden that has sandy soil rich in organic matter. The soil must be well drained and in full sun. If your garden has a gentle slope, that would be good, too. You don’t want the soil to remain wet, but you do want to have a water supply close by. Strawberries need good irrigation, especially during the dry season.

Strawberries should be planted in holes large enough for the roots to spread out. Be sure to bring the soil up around the crown. Set the plants 12” to 16” apart in rows that are about 28” apart. If you plant them is beds, you can space the plants a little closer. Keep the crown slightly above or level with the ground. Strawberry plants have shallow roots, so they need to be watered often and well during the growing season. Drip irrigation is recommended to prevent moisture from rotting the berries.

Strawberries can also be grown in containers. They make beautiful, as well as delicious, ornamental plants to decorate your deck or patio. No matter where you plant them, just make sure that they have full sun and the right temperatures. Long days with warm temperatures encourage the growth of leaves and runners. Short cool days, on the other hand, are necessary for the formation of blooms. Strawberries have firmer fruit and better flavor if they are grown in areas where days are sunny and nights are cool.

Types

There are three general varieties of strawberries:

1. June-bearing: These plants produce fruit during a two-week period in the spring. June-bearers produce flowers, fruits, and runners.

2. Everbearing strawberries produce fruit three times during the season-spring, summer, and fall. This type of plant does not produce runners.

3. A new type and a close relative to the ever bearers are the day-neutral strawberries. These produce fruit all through the season, and they have only a few runners.

Everbearing and day-neutral varieties are excellent for small spaces and containers. They can be grown in terraced beds, barrels, or used as borders or ground covers.

Facts About Strawberries

Did you know:

1. That over 53% of seven to nine year olds picked strawberries as their favorite fruit?
2. That eight strawberries will provide 140% of the recommended daily intake of Vitamin C for kids?
3. That strawberries are the first fruit to ripen in the spring?
4. That one cup of strawberries is only 55 calories?
5. That California produces one billion pounds of strawberries each year?
6. That the strawberry is the only fruit with seeds of the outside?
7. That 94% of United States households eat strawberries?
8. That if all the strawberries produced in California in one year were laid berry to berry, they would go around the the world 15 times?
9. That there is a museum in Belgium just for strawberries?
10. That Florida ranks second in the production of strawberries?

These were taken from a fact list Strawberries and More by the University of Illinois Extension

Organic and Commercial Production

Strawberries can be grown in most areas of the United States. Cultivators have been developed for most climates.

Organically grown berries are at a premium. Synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are not used. Information on planting, pest control, cultivator recommendations, etc., can be obtained from your local
Cooperative Extension Service.

Planting systems for strawberries vary according to the environment and the production goals of the grower. The grower has to decide on his priorities. Does he want size, flavor, or some other quality?

Most conventional growers in California and Florida prefer the raised bed. The plants are grown as annuals being transplanted in the late summer of early fall. In some cases the raised beds are fumigated with methyl bromide and then covered for a few weeks with black plastic. At planting time the plastic may be removed, or simply have holes punched to allow for the plants. Of course, the organic grower would not use methyl bromide; he would rely on crop rotation.

Raised beds tend to out-produce flat beds. They provide good drainage, and they also allow the grower easier access to the berries, thus making harvest easier and quicker.

Fertility

June-bearing plants set their fruit buds for next year’s crop in the fall; so they must have adequate chilling and the proper amount of fertilizer and water during the late summer. Day-neutral strawberries set their buds throughout the growing season; so they need adequate fertilizer and water all through the year.

Weed Control and Pests

Strawberries must be kept free of weeds, or they will stop bearing. Organic growers usually have to hand weed. Growers and researchers alike are attempting to develop better ways to control weeds. Researchers in the United States prefer the flex-tine harrow, the brush hoe, and the finger weeder rather than the standard rototiller. The most common way to inhibit the growth of weeds is mulch. There are organic mulches, living and killed mulches, and woven synthetic fabric mulch.

Weeds are not the only threats to strawberry production. There are numerous types of insects and mites that feed on strawberries.

• White grubs are primarily a problem in the eastern part of the United States. They are the larvae of May and June beetles, and they can be killed by late-summer or early-fall plowing.
• The strawberry clipper or bud weevil occurs only east of the Rockies. In early spring the adult beetles lay eggs in the buds and cut the stems, causing the flowers to fall off. The clippers are not all bad, however, because the blooms that are left produce much larger fruit.

• The strawberry root worm adults eat the leaves, and the larvae eat the roots and the crowns. The way to control these is to plow the area immediately after the harvest.

• The lygus bug likes day-neutral varieties which bear fruit all during the growing season. The bugs suck the sap from plants and inject toxic saliva which causes the fruits to be deformed.

• Spider mites feed on the leaves of the berry plant, sucking out all the moisture. If mites become a problem, use a soap spray on the underside of the leaves.
• Other pests are aphids, spittlebugs, whiteflies, caterpillars, earwigs, and leafhoppers.

Some of the most common diseases are:

• Botrytis (gray mold) which grows in cool damp weather. Pickers handling infected berries can spread the infection to healthy berries, causing them to rot within two or three days after picking. Leaf spot on leaves and stems are spread by splashing water.
• Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that infects foliage, flowers, and fruit.
• Red stele causes the root’s center to turn red, and it can be viable in the soil up to 20 years.
• Anthracnose produces a rust color throughout the crown and causes the plant to die.

Shredding strawberry leaves right after harvest will take care of most pests and diseases. Just make sure the mower is set on the highest setting so that the plant crowns are not damaged.

Strawberries are a high-value crop, but they have a short shelf life and a brief marketing season. They must be picked with care to prevent bruising. The berries must be firm, bright red, and free from damage and disease. Strawberries in the supermarket have been picked before they are fully ripe, and the taste is not good. Small and local growers can provide must better and fresher fruit. Strawberries are well suited for the small local roadside stands and pick-your-own gardens.