Strawberry information
Strawberries are considered to be a fruit but in fact the strawberry is just an accessory fruit and the real fruit of the strawberries are actually the seeds that you would find inside the strawberry and are even visible on its skin but not all strawberry species have this. The flesh of the strawberry is derived from the hypanthium that is holding the ovaries and not from the ovary itself. There are about an average of 200 seeds per strawberry.
There are two kinds of strawberries: the June-bearing and the daylength-neutral cultivars. Daylength-neutral cultivars are most often referred as "everbearing" because daylength-neutral cultivars produce strawberries in all seasons. Daylength-neutral cultivars and Everbearing cultivars are not the same and when you hear someone say they are selling the everbearing kind of strawberry, most likely they are referring to the daylength-neutral variants. Everbearing cultivars are rather rare now but you could still find some as samples.
The June-bearing cultivars only produce the tasty strawberries on the month of June. In the United States, the June-bearing cultivars only strive well in the South and are not doing well in the Northwest region because of the length of day in the Northwest region which the June-bearing cultivars are sensitive from.
The daylength-neutral cultivars are not as tasty as the June-bearing cultivars and they are relatively smaller compared to the June-bearing variant. The daylength-neutral cultivars produce strawberries ready for picking starting from June all through October.
History of the Strawberry
The wild strawberries of Europe were enjoyed by the Romans during the Middle Ages. These wild strawberries were discovered by the Europeans when they landed their sail in Virginia on 1588. The modern strawberry is a hybrid of North and South American varieties. The Europeans brought the strawberries from Virginia in 1588 but in 1642, a much better tasting strawberry variety was brought to England and this together with the large white strawberries from Chile, South America that had been introduced centuries later in 1806 were the parents of the modern strawberries.
Classification of Strawberry Species
The different species of Strawberries
Diploid- Fragaria daltoniana- native specie of strawberry from the Himalayas.
- Fragaria nilgerrensis- native specie of strawberry from south and southeast Asia
- Fragaria iinumae- native specie of strawberry from Japan and east Russia
- Fragaria nipponica- native specie of strawberry from Honshu, Japan
- Fragaria nubicola- native specie of strawberry from the Himalayas
- Fragaria vesca- most commonly known as the Woodland Strawberry or Wild Strawberry, Alpine Strawberry or European Strawberry. You can find it all throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
- Fragaria viridis- native specie of strawberry from Central Asia and Europe
- Fragaria yezoensis- native specie of strawberry from Hokkaido, Japan
Tetraploid
- Fragaria moupinensis- native specie of strawberry from China
- Fragaria orientalis- native specie of strawberry from China
Hexaploid
- Fragaria moschata- most commonly known as the Musk Strawberry. Native specie of strawberry from Europe.
Octoploid
- Fragaria xananassa- known as the Garden Strawberry. It's the most common specie of strawberry and is cultivated worldwide.
- Fragaria chiloensis- known as the Beach Strawberry. Can be found in North and South America and Hawaii.
- Fragaria iturupensis- known as the Iturup Strawberry. Native specie of strawberry from Iturup in the Island of Kuril.
- Fragaria virginiana- known as the Virginia Strawberry. Native specie of strawberry from the North America including Alaska and Canada.
Decaploid
- Fragaria xPotentilla hybrids
- Fragaria xvescana
Strawberries should be stored in cool temperature for it to last a few days after picking. In tropical countries, strawberries must be kept in the refrigerator because once it's left outside for a long period of time, it tends to rot overnight. The best way to store your strawberries is by freezing. It will keep your berries for months!
Strawberries are consumed raw but they're great for baking delicious treats too! Strawberry flavored ice cream is one of the favorite ice cream flavors for generations. Strawberries are rather sour when eaten raw but once cooked; the sweetness of its flavor comes out. Strawberries are great treats and the value of strawberry is high in tropical countries where strawberries don't usually thrive.
With the continued popularity of strawberry, it will remain to be one of the most sought after flavors in delicious treats such as cakes, pies, yogurt and ice cream.