The Strawberry
Created | Updated Aug 22, 2006
Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did.
- Dr. William Butler, 17th Century English Writer, referring to the wild strawberry as being the best of all fruits.
Strawberries, are a false fruit 1 which are formed from the red, swollen, fleshy base of the flower,2 which grow on runners. Over the years they have graced the presence of many events including medieval state celebrations and Wimbledon and more often than not are served with lashings of cream. The strawberry’s original name was strewn berry as the fruit3 appears to be strewn about the plants. The strawberry most people know is Fragaria vesca ananassa, which forms part of the Rosaceae family, and is a subspecies of the European native Fragaria vesca.
Strawberry Varieties
Although 300 years ago Europeans knew about strawberries, they did not know about the variety people today are used to commonly seeing, which was introduced from North America in the 18th Century. They only knew about wild strawberries. Wild strawberry fruits are a lot smaller than the American strawberries; in fact they are as small as a bilberry, if not smaller. They can be tricky to find and don't easily grow on runners. This may have prompted our desire to grow the ananassa subspecies, which is more easily cultivated and produces firmer, more succulent-looking fruits.
White-berried varieties are occasionally found, but these are usually bland in flavour.
The 'common everyday' strawberry originated from North America and was unheard of in Europe until the 18th Century.
Anyone lucky enough to taste these strawberries may be of the belief that the smaller wild strawberry has a superior taste, while being sharper and sweeter at the same time. If grown in warm, sunny places they can become surprisingly juicy, although they are more commonly found in open woodland and scrub near the ground. An afternoon spent searching for these delicacies is often far more fun than the sterile environment of a roadside 'Pick Your Own' centre.
The barren strawberry, Potentilla sterilis, is a cousin of the wild strawberry, but is much rarer and less celebrated, probably due to the fact that it produces a rather dry and bitter fruit.
In this entry, we will be largely concerned with the cultivated American strawberry, but it is worth bearing in mind that references to strawberries before the 18th Century will relate to the true vesca variety.
Grow Your Own
Unlike other fruit strawberries carry their seeds on their outer skin, with each strawberry possessing around 20 seeds. These seeds can be used to create lots more strawberries. To grow strawberries it is necessary to obtain well-drained, fresh fertile soil, that has not harboured strawberries for at least four years. This soil should have a pH of 5.5 to 6.5. After three years, the strawberries should be dug up and composted. Surround this soil with straw, compost or other organic material to help retain soil moisture. It’s a good idea to keep the area where you plan to grow the strawberries free from weeds so there is no other life competing for the vital sources the strawberries need to grow. For happy strawberries make sure they receive at least an inch of water, get at least six hours of sunlight and obtain good air circulation a week. Rotating them will help prevent virus diseases affecting them.
Pests/Diseases
When growing strawberries you need to keep a careful eye on them as just as you can get a healthy crop, you can also get a crop which deteriorates.
The first thing to be aware of is that environmental and mechanical factors can affect the strawberry. If these are not causing a problem to the crop then you need to check them over for diseases and pests, which may have caused your crop harm.
Diseases such as Strawberry Red Stele Root Rot, Strawberry Leaf Diseases, Gray Mold of Strawberry, Mildew, Leaf Variegation or June Yellows in Strawberries, Verticillium Wilt of Strawberry, Leather Rot of Strawberry have all been known to cause problems to the strawberry. Although pests can create just as much harm as diseases.
Pests include: aphids4, earwigs, slugs, wasps, white grubs, mites, leafrollers, Leaf hoppers, strawberry rootworm, Strawberry Clippers, Tarnished Plant Bug, Strawberry Sap Beetle and Eastern Flower Thrips. As well as crown borers, Tyloderma fragariae, the strawberry root weevil and Otiorhynchus ovatus.
A different type of pest that causes problems to the strawberry is the bird. In particular birds such as the blackbird are partial to a strawberry if they can get their talons on them. Therefore, covering the strawberries with netting from the first signs of ripening until the end of July is vital to the strawberry's survival.
Whether you find a disease has affected your plant or a pest then they can be eradicated. Pests can be got rid of through the use of pesticides. A disease may mean you should not plant anymore strawberries for up to five years. However, if only one plant or part of a plant has been affected, then it should simply be a case of removing the affected part.
Pick Your Own
Grasp the stem just above the berry between the forefinger and the thumbnail and pull with a slight twisting motion. With the stem broken about one-half inch from the berry, allow it to roll into the palm of your hand. When you pick your own and store them in containers be careful not to squash them.
Selecting Strawberries
Whether you pick your own or prefer to shop around for them. Strawberries are only really worth having if they are mould free, bright red, full and juicy with their fresh green caps on. Strawberries are great for you as they contain vitamin C, however much of the vitamin C in a strawberry is destroyed when they are prepared for eating. For instance, vitamin C is lost from the strawberry when the green caps are removed. Vitamin C is also lost from the strawberry if it comes in contact with extreme heat and if they are left too long in water. For best results in strawberry eating do not leave them in the fridge or at room temperature but eat them as soon as possible.
Other Benefits
Ever since the Roman occupation in Europe strawberries have been believed to have benefits. The Romans believed that the strawberry alleviated symptoms of melancholy, fainting, all inflammations, fevers, throat infections, kidney stones, halitosis, attacks of gout, and diseases of the blood, liver and spleen. The strawberry has also been used in medicines, discoloured teeth, digestion, and gout and has even been used as an aphrodisiac. More recently it has been thought that the strawberry prevents cancer. Of course whether the strawberry is capable of such things is questionable but it does contain more vitamin C than an orange and are high in fibre in the form of pectin, which helps to lower cholesterol levels, and (like all fibre) is good for the digestive system. Furthermore, it contains potassium, folic acid, fibre, and vitamin B6.
Strawberry Rash
With many things there are good and bad sides. With the strawberry this is true too. For strawberries can cause allergies 5 and Acute Urticaria, otherwise known as strawberry rash or heat rash, when eaten in extreme heat.
Strawberry Birth Marks
Although the name strawberry birth mark makes people believe it is an allergic reaction to eating strawberries it isn't. Strawberry Birth Marks are solely named after what they look like, not from eating strawberries.
Strawberry Birth Marks are red, raised and lumpy markings which appear anywhere on the body. One in twenty people born are affected by Strawberry Birth Marks which usually appear on people in the very early stages of their life (between one and four weeks). These markings quickly spread but by the age of five 60% of marks have faded away and at the age of ten 90% have vanished. If they still haven't vanished around the age of ten and they are causing a problem to vision or breathing then they could be lasered or surgically removed. This should only be used as a last resort due to scarring.
For years myths have surrounded strawberry birth marks. For example, Henry VIII's second wife Anne Boleyn was believed to be a witch due to the fact she possessed a strawberry birth mark on her neck. Another myth surrounding strawberry birth marks was that if a pregnant woman touched her body while walking through a strawberry patch the child born to her would have a strawberry coloured birthmark on that spot on its body.
Strawberry Recipes
What better way to finish off this entry but with a few recipes with strawberries in them.
The strawberry 'fruit' has many tiny achenes (small, dry fruits containing one seed), dotted over the fleshy part and so these tiny parts are the real, botanical fruits of the strawberry plant
3The term 'fruit' is often used loosely to describe any edible, fleshy part of a plant. Botanically, the term 'fruit' is reserved for the part of a plant formed from a flower and containing seeds. True fruits are formed only from the ovary ands seeds.4Aphids carry two virus diseases: yellow edge and crinkle. Plants suffering from these should be destroyed alongside the aphids.5Strawberries have been known to cause hives.
