Vibrant, Fragrant, Delicious Strawberries!

Mon, Mar 22, 2010

News

Spring has sprung and people are looking to food to celebrate. Last week we discussed the wonderful asparagus and how it is a vegetable that many associate with spring. This week we are looking to something a bit sweeter, fragrant, and vibrant in color, the strawberry!

Strawberries actually are from a flowering plant in the rose family called Fragaria. It’s thought that the berries got their name from the straw that was used as mulch when cultivating the plants. There are over 20 species but the most common is the garden strawberry.

The garden strawberry was born in Brittany, France in 1740. It was a cross  from a variety in eastern North America because of its flavor, and one from Chile and Argentina that was known for its size. These replaced the first strawberry cultivated in the 1600’s, the woodland strawberry.

Strawberries are also healthy! They are high in vitamin C, fiber, folate and potassium. One study done by the Nutrition and Health Research Center has shown that eating one serving (about 10 strawberries) daily can decrease blood pressure! Other studies have also shown that strawberries reduce the chance of cancer and  possibly help with memory function. Diabetics can benefit from strawberries as they can help regulate blood sugar levels. They also have shown to help the body rid itself of harmful toxins and inhibit the production of cholesterol in the liver.

If you are looking to grow your own strawberries, you’re in luck! Strawberries are easily grown and can be grown almost anywhere in the world. There are different varieties that can produce strawberries during different times. June bearing plants produce strawberries during late spring and have an exclusive 3 week harvest period. Day neutral strawberries produce throughout the growing season. Both of these also produce runners, which means they will spread the plant like bamboo. Everbearing varieties however produce during spring, summer and fall in three different times, but do not produce runners.

When it comes to eating strawberries, all you really need to do is give them a wash and eat them as they are, but there are many other things you can make with these beautiful fruits. They are great as preserves, shakes, smoothies, sliced and topped on cheese cake, in pies, and in fruit salads. They even make a wonderful vinaigrette to use on salads.

Strawberries are fragrant, beautifully colored, and the taste ranges from very sweet to tart. If that’s not enough for you they are also full of healthy incentive to start eating them more regularly!

“We are bound by a small, sometimes magical fruit called the strawberry. This fruit has the power to make tears dry up, make friends with enemies, make sick people feel better, make the elderly feel younger by bringing back pleasant memories of days gone by, make acquaintances of strangers, and above all make little children smile. What other fruit has that power?” – Marvin Brown

Photo by  *clairity*

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This post was written by:

Rochelle - who has written 324 posts on Made in Kitchen Blog.


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2 Responses to “Vibrant, Fragrant, Delicious Strawberries!”

  1. Bonnie Says:

    Loved the background on strawberries. Very interesting.

  2. Rochelle Says:

    It’s amazing what you can find out about simple food :)

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