12 Interesting Facts About Strawberries
Strawberries are in season now, so, pick up a pint, enjoy these juicy sweet rubies and learn a few intriguing facts about them you'll want to know!
Strawberries are the first fruit to ripen in the spring. While known to most of us as berries, strawberries are scientifically speaking they are considered “accessory fruits” which means that the fruit comes from other plant parts and not exclusively from the plant’s ovary. (Other examples of accessory fruits include apples and figs.) Other berries such as blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries grow from a flower’s ovary and have their seeds inside their skin, covered with pulp. Strawberry flowers are made up of several ovaries that fuse together to form a single flower.
Whatever strawberries are classified as, we all know that these sweet, plump fruits are a tasty treat by themselves or in recipes. Here are some fascinating facts about strawberries:
12 Facts About Strawberry:
1) Strawberries are grown in every state in the US but California leads the pack—10 million baskets of strawberries are shipped daily during harvest time.
2) Each berry has over 200 seeds on its surface.
3) Strawberries are the first fruit to ripen in spring.
4) Strawberries are members of the rose family. Its botanical name is Frugaria, which means, “fragrance.” The first syllable of its common name comes from the fact that straw was commonly used as mulch around this plant.
5) Ancient records reveal that the strawberry was grown in Rome dating back to 200 BC. They used the berries to treat depression, fever, and sore throats.
6) 94% of households in the US eat strawberries.
7) Americans consume an average of 3.4 pounds of fresh strawberries each year plus nearly another 2 pounds of frozen strawberries.
8) Cincinnati, Ohio growers were the first to ship fresh, chilled strawberries in 1843 by placing ice on top of boxes containing the berries.
9) A low-cal treat, 8 medium strawberries only add up to around 50 calories.
10) Strawberries contain beneficial amounts of Vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. They are known to block cancer-causing substances as well as retroviruses.
11) There is a museum in Belgium just for strawberries.
12) Strawberry allergies affect 6-8% of children under age 3, and up to 9% of adults.
How wonderful it is that strawberries, so good for you, taste so sweet too! Check out these health benefits.
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Deborah Tukua
Deborah Tukua is a natural living, healthy lifestyle writer and author of 7 non-fiction books, including Pearls of Garden Wisdom: Time-Saving Tips and Techniques from a Country Home, Pearls of Country Wisdom: Hints from a Small Town on Keeping Garden and Home, and Naturally Sweet Blender Treats. Tukua has been a writer for the Farmers' Almanac since 2004.
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3) Strawberries are the first fruit to ripen in spring. My Honeyberries are ripe before the strawberries.
are there worms in strawberries to be concerned about…thank you
Hi Lynne, there’s good news and bad news about worms in strawberries. Take a look here.