h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

knew that was a funny thing to say but it needed to be said

One thing stands out to me that romans did create our roads

No, you just need a brief section explaining that the strawberries people know and love are a variety that originated in North America. Mention that until 300 years or so ago, the only strawberries known in Europe were what we now call wild strawberries, which are much smaller - close to the size of a bilberry/whortleberry[insert regional name for said blue thing]. The strawberry that one eats with cream is a relatively recent addition to the European table.

I'll try to find you a good wild strawberry link that you can re-write

(Did I mention that this is a very good entry, btw? )

The biggest strawberry pest in our garden is my She has got good at recognising when they are ripe and picks them off. She leaves the green ones until they are ready We grow the little strawberries - aren't these called alpine strawberries? Or is that a third type apart from the wild and garden ones?

A9754888 - The Strawberry - for ease of loading the entry

updated

Thanks for the link Galaxy Babe

vitamin c > vitamin C (several instances)

You're welcome Opti

I'm very impressed with this entry, you've worked hard on it and it's changed greatly since it was submitted.

Well done, Opti, I think this is ready to be picked

I still think the wild strawberry element could be expanded a bit more - as I said, for most of the entry you're talking about a different strawberry to those that people know. Looking good apart from that.

Also, as I said, vitamin c > vitamin C (ie upper case)

gosh I'm confused with strawberries how far is the wild strawberry intertwined with the common everyday strawberry?

The 'common everyday' strawberry is Fragaria vesca ananassa, which is a subspecies of Britain's native F. vesca. This is important because you're writing from a European perspective, especially in relation to the historical and folklorey parts - the 'common everyday' strawberry was unheard of in Europe until the 18th Century.

The wild strawberry forms very small fruits - about the size of bilberry, if that - which can be tricky to find, and will not grow on runners easily - hence our enthusiatic adoption of the plump, easier to cultivate ananassa subspecies. Anyone who has tasted both will tell you that the smaller wild strawberry has a superior taste - somehow sharper and sweeter at the same time - and proves the old adage that good things come in small packages Where they grow in sheltered, warm and exposed places they can become unbelievably juicy for such a tiny fruit. I climbed an unfrequented cliff above some woods near Newton Abbot last year, and on finding a few halfway up was surprised to find how they seemed to explode in my mouth!

I think it's quite important to make the distinction, as most people don't even realise there is such a thing; it may even encourage someone somewhere to go and find out a few! If it's asking too much for you to research it, I'll happy contribute a brief paragraph explaining - and I wouldn't even want a credit for it

Hope this helps.

Thankyou for your help I've put it into the entry. Feel free to change it, add more etc. As for putting your name down I feel I should really.

Much better, but can I suggest a couple of tweaks?

'The 'common everyday' strawberry is Fragaria vesca ananassa, which forms part of the Rosaceae family, and is a subspecies of Britain's native Fragaria genus.'

Suggest:

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. (Convention is to italicise genus and species, but nothing higher)

'Over the years different varieties of strawberry have been produced:

Although 300 years ago people knew about strawberries, they did not know about the variety people today are used to commonly seeing. They only knew about wild strawberries. Wild strawberries are a lot smaller than the common everyday strawberry, in fact they are as small as a bilberry if not smaller. They can be tricky to find and dont easily grow on runners. This may have prompted our desire to grow the common everyday strawberry, ananassa subspecies.

The 'common everyday' strawberry originated from North America and was unheard of in Europe until the 18th century.'

Suggest:

(Remove the first line)

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.

'If grown in exposed, sheltered, warm places they can become very juicy.'

Suggest:

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.

Add the lines:

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.


Feel free to re-word those if you want, but if you can get these bits of info in, I'd be happy for this to go forward. It's a great entry

a few tweeks thats an essay

Cut and paste, add some tags... bingo! An entry even grumpy ol' me would be happy with

about me joking

I don't see you as a 'grumpy ol' thing .... I see you as a fantastic, friendly, helpful person

Thankyou

Well, someone has to, Opti!

It's ok, I knew you were joking - but ultimately it's your entry, so you can take or leave the sections I suggested. It's a fine job with or without them

whats happening to this entry?

Nothing seems to be happening to it - it looks like there's still much work to be done on the entry.

Will it be finished in time for WimbledonFruitylicious Opti?
Nother