A Closer Look: Strawberries

Children and adults alike can’t deny the allure of strawberries. The fruit’s flavor is hard to resist, especially because it offers a guilt free way to satisfy your sweet craving. Strawberries are available year-round at your local grocery store of course, yet there’s nothing quite like chomping into a fresh local strawberry and enjoying its unparalleled tangy sweetness.

What:

Strawberries have grown wild for millennium, but were first cultivated in 1740. The garden strawberry is a member of the Rose Family. Colors can range from deep red to white, depending on which variety (and there are over 600 varieties). Nutritionally speaking, strawberries are full of Vitamin C and potassium. They are the only fruit whose seeds grow around the exterior.

Flavor Profile:

Sweet, sugary, and/or tart depending on the variety and grower.

In the Kitchen:

Pick strawberries that are firm and plump.

If you can, eat your strawberries on the day you buy them (or as close as possible). Leave them untouched until you decide to eat them; that means no washing and no hulling! If it will be a few days before you can eat them, put them in the refrigerator in their original container.

There are many ways to cook and enjoy strawberries (see below!), but they are perfect on their own too, or with sugar sprinkled on top, paired with cheese, dipped in chocolate…(etc!).

Growing Season

Some local farmers have been carrying strawberries since early May. They should be available at the farmers’ market until early July, as each farm’s growing season is slightly different.

Some of the varieties that you may see at the farmers’ market include June Bearing (produce fruit for 2-3 weeks in June), Everbearing (produce 2-3 harvests of fruit during the Spring, Summer, and Fall), or Day Neutral (produce fruit throughout the growing season). Strawberries are planted in rows or alternated raised beds in the late Fall or in the early Spring when the soil dries.