Plump and juicy red strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa) are one of the first fruits to appear in household gardens and at farmers markets when the weather warms each year. Strawberries must be picked when fully mature; they will not continue ripen after harvesting. Allow immature white strawberries to grow to their maximum size and turn fully red before picking them.
Strawberries begin as small white flowers on the plants that turn into hard green berries. As the berries grow and ripen, they turn from green to white and finally to red. Different types of strawberries mature at different times of year. Strawberry plants come in June bearing, everbearing and day neutral varieties, each with a different growing season. The large-berried June bearing plants produce their fruit during a three- to four-week period in late spring and early summer. Everbearing varieties provide crops three times per year, and day neutral plants offer a continuous supply of strawberries all season.
Pick only strawberries that are fully ripe and have turned completely red. Berries with any splotches of green, white or pink should be left on the plant to continue ripening; if picked at that stage, they will be hard and sour in taste. For maximum sweetness and flavor, collect berries that are dark red and smaller in size. When picking strawberries, snap off their stem close to the stalk to prevent injury to the fruit and to help keep unripe berries from accidentally being knocked off the plant.
Don't bother to keep white strawberries that you accidentally pick or that fall off the plant; since they will not ripen, add them to the compost bin instead. Fresh strawberries should be stored unwashed and with their hulls intact in a single layer in an open container until you are ready to use them. To retain peak flavor, they need to be used or frozen within three days of picking. Spray them with a bit of lemon juice to help retain their bright red color.
Although most varieties of strawberries come in a rosy red hue when ripe, there are a few plants that produce fruit that is still white even when fully mature. The white types of strawberries do not have the Fragaria allergen A1 protein that gives color to the more well-known red varieties. It is this protein to which people with strawberry allergies react; therefore, they may tolerate white strawberries well. White strawberries tend to be smaller in size than red ones and the overall harvest is reduced.
- West Michigan Tourist Association: Explore: In Season: May: Strawberries
- University of California: Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources: Strawberries: Safe Methods to Store, Preserve and Enjoy
- Strawberry Plants: White Strawberries
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Cooperative Extension Service: College of Agriculture: Tips on Picking and Using Strawberries
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