Strawberry

Strawberries

By: Marie Morud

Nothing tastes better than fresh, local strawberries to kick off the summer in North Iowa! Whether you are growing strawberries in your backyard, picking your own at a local farm, or grabbing some at the farmers market, you are in for a treat!

Hailed as nature’s original desserts, strawberries are a naturally sweet fruit that offers our bodies protection from disease. With antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, along with a host of other vitamins and nutrients, strawberries have been long used to treat fever, inflammation, sore throats, and depression dating all the way back to the ancient Romans. One serving of strawberries (8 berries) contains more vitamin C than an orange. Strawberries also contain folate, fiber, potassium, and phytochemicals, a combination with strong cardiovascular benefits.

Strawberries are often the first fruits to ripen in the late spring and early summer but have a short harvest window, about 3 weeks. Strawberry plants are native to temperate climate regions around the world, including parts of North America. Strawberries are now grown in every US state and Canadian province and are one of the most popular small fruits to grow in home gardens. California currently grows 83% of our nation's strawberries, about 1.4 billion pounds annually, across 25,000 acres. These berries are being harvested from January through November, while Florida harvests berries from November through January, with additional fruit being imported from Mexico.

Botanically speaking, strawberries aren’t technically berries. A member of the Rosaceae (rose) family, strawberries are an aggregate fruit. True berries have seeds on the inside and are produced from a single flower containing one ovary. Aggregate fruits produce clusters of fruit from a single flower. The small whitish seed-like structures on the surface of the strawberry are the true fruits and each one contains a tiny seed. There are around 200 of these “seeds” on the exterior of a single strawberry.

A new plant will produce by mid-summer of the year it is planted and may continue to produce for 5-7 years before needing to be replaced. Strawberry plants produce runners that take root and make new plants, with the majority of their roots being contained in the top 3 inches of soil. Once a plant flowers, bees pollinate the flower to make the fruit. It takes around 30 days for the flower to develop the fruit, which starts out white, then later turns red as it ripens.

Select strawberries with shiny, firm, bright red skin with fresh, green, intact caps. Store in the refrigerator for 1-3 days, and do not wash until you are ready to eat. If you are picking your own berries, select fully ripe and fragrant berries, as they don’t ripen after being picked. Strawberries are readily available fresh, frozen, and dried for good nutrition and convenience. White Jewel is a unique variety, with white flesh dotted with red seeds. This is caused by limited sun exposure, which reduces levels of anthocyanins (pigments) that create red, purple, blue, and black colors in many crops. Other varieties of strawberries are pink, yellow, or gold.

May is National Strawberry Month, and to celebrate, Lebanon, Oregon hosts the Lebanon Strawberry Festival. They hold the world record for the largest strawberry shortcake, weighing in at 5,700 pounds and serving over 16,000 people! Try this recipe for Creamy Coconut Berry Popsicles from Seattle Farm to Preschool, a delicious treat to cool down on a warm day. It won’t serve 16,000 people, but it is sure to please a small crowd!

Creamy Coconut Berry Popsicles

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 15-ounce can full-fat coconut milk

1 tsp vanilla

¼ cup honey (or maple syrup)

1 ½ cups berries (such as strawberries or raspberries)

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, vanilla, and sweetener until smooth and creamy.
In a separate bowl, mash the berries with a fork until soft. Add berries to the coconut milk mixture and stir until combined.
Pour the mixture into popsicle molds. If you do not have popsicle molds, you can use paper or plastic cups, ice cube trays, or small yogurt containers. Freeze for 30 minutes, then insert popsicle sticks and continue freezing for 4 hours or until firm.
To remove the popsicles, either let them sit out for 5-10 minutes until soft enough to pull out of molds or submerge the bottom of the popsicle molds in room-temperature water for 10-15 seconds, then gently pull to release.

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