Strawberries Actually a member of the rose family, these plump, flame-red, succulent berries are heart shaped with tiny edible seeds, green leaves and short to long stems.

Peak Season:

June and July


Choose plump, firm, deep-colored strawberries, with bright green caps and no signs of mold or soft spots. Store strawberries in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Wash and hull strawberries just before using them. A 12 oz. basket of strawberries will give you 3 1/2 cups whole strawberries, or 2 1/4 cup sliced strawberries.


The best way to eat a strawberry is fresh out of hand. For a fresh strawberry taste, try this simple strawberry gelato. Heat 1 cup of sugar and 1 1/2 cups water until sugar dissolves. Combine 3 cups pureed strawberries, 2 Tbsp. finely chopped lemon zest, and 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice with cooled sugar mixture. Freeze until firm.

Nutritional Information

Calories Protien Fat Sat. Fat % Cal. Fat Sodium
 50 1.0 gms 0.0 gms 0.0 gms 0% 0.0 mg
Carbs Fibre Vit. A Vit. C Calcium Iron
 13 gms  3.0 gms 0% RDA 140% RDA 2% RDA 2% RDA
Based on 1 cup fresh Strawberries

Strawberry Historical Facts

Strawberries are thought to have been cultivated in ancient Rome. The strawberry, as we know it, was originally grown in northern Europe, but species are also found in Russia, Chile, Canada, and the United States.


The berries seem to be strewn among the leaves of the plant. The plant first had the name strewberry, farmers used to bring them to market on beds of straw, so later the name was changed to strawberry.

In France strawberries were cultivated in the 13th Century for use as a medicinal herb.

Historical Medicinal Uses of Fragaria Vesca (Alpine Strawberry): It is said that the leaves, roots and fruits of this variety of strawberry were used for a digestive or skin tonic. Internally, the berry was used for diarrhea and digestive upset, while the leaves and the roots were used for gout. Externally, it was used for sunburn and skin blemishes, and the fruit juice was used for discoloured teeth.

The first American species of strawberries was cultivated about 1835.

The first important American variety, the Hoveg, was grown in 1834, in Massachusetts. The hybrid variety was developed in France.

Strawberry Horticultural Facts


Strawberries are not really berries or fruit, but are instead the enlarged ends of the plant's stamen. It is the small black spots which are actually the fruit.

The strawberry is considered one of the most important small fruits grown in the Western Hemisphere. Today every state in the United States and every province in Canada grow the strawberry plant. It grows both as a wild plant and as a cultivated plant.

Some strawberries, called everbearing, produce berries throughout the summer and fall.

Strawberry plants can be planted in any garden soil, but the richer the soil, the larger the crop. The plant grows best in a cool, moist climate and does not do well in warm temperatures. The plants may be planted in the spring or fall, but if the temperature is too cold, fall planting requires a great deal of care.

The strawberry grows close to the ground on the stem in groups of three. The greenish white fruits turn to a rich red colour when they ripen. When the strawberry ripens the petals of the flower fall off and all that remains is the calyx, a leafy substance shaped like a star. Not every flower produces fruit.

The strawberry plant has seeds on the outside skin rather than having an outer skin around the seed, as most berries do. They do not however, normally reproduce by seeds. When the fruit is developing, the plant sends out slender growths called runners. These look like strings. They grow on the ground and send out roots in the soil. The roots produce new plants which grow and bear fruit. Sometimes these plants are taken from the soil and replanted to start a new plantation of strawberry plants.