It’s strawberry time again
Wimbledon! Our favourite time of year! Ok, you may say this is because of our lovely location, but that’s not the one and only reason! Tennis aside, we love this time of year because of that little red fruit they love to serve up off court – the good old strawberry! What a wonderful and versatile fruit! Delight in them on their own or eat with lashings of cream. What more could you want (apart from jam, cakes and tarts that is!)?
So here are a few fabulous facts that you may or may not know about our little red friendly fruit!
1. A strawberry is not actually a berry!
It is in fact what they call an “aggregate fruit” — fruits that develop from multiple ovaries of a single fruit. To be a berry those little delights would need to have seeds on the inside, not studded all around the outside! And if that fact didn’t stun you enough, you may also be shocked to discover that a banana actually is a berry! Wonders will never cease.
2. The strawberry is a member of the rose family.
Arguably one of the six most economically important crop plant families, it also includes apples, pears, quinces, almonds, peaches, apricots, plums, cherries, blackberries, raspberries and sloes. The plants are typically fragrant and have lovely flowers, so why not stop and have a sniff.
3. There are over 200 seeds on the average strawberry.
Studded all around this little fruit, they are also the only fruit to wear their seeds on the outside. No wonder you get so many stuck in your teeth after a single bite!
4. Wait before you are ready to eat them before washing and cutting.
Especially if you are planning on keeping them in the fridge. Washing and cutting strawberries before you are ready to use them only makes them spoil more quickly.
5. Strawberry plants grow back year after year.
That’s because they are perennials which mean that if you plant them, they will grow back the next year. They don’t always bear fruit immediately, but when they do you can almost be sure that you’ll get these sweet little fruits growing back for up to five years.
6. Strawberries and Champagne don’t actually go that well together.
You can blame Pretty Woman for this little myth. Actually, it does depend on who you talk to and what quality of Champagne you are drinking (and the strawberries you are eating), but many feel that as Champagne now isn’t as sweet as it used to be the combination only serves to make you pucker from the mismatched sugar and acidity! Also, dropping strawberries direct into a glass of fizz can make the fruity tones overpower the Champagne, thus ruining the taste of the wine itself! We think the jury’s out on this one – and who doesn’t think a slice of strawberry makes your glass look prettier!
7. Strawberries don’t continue to ripen once picked.
That’s right! Unlike other fruits that continue to ripen, the little strawberry won’t change after you’ve removed it from its stem. So, don’t go jumping the gun and filling your cullender up with those little green ones (although they do make nice chutney).
8. Strawberries have aphrodisiac properties.
So, forget about the oysters and serve a bowl of these up for your loved one! Newlywed couples in France are said to consume a bowl of strawberry soup after their nuptials to get them in the mood, and in ancient Rome they were given as a wedding gift. Although nowadays, newlyweds may be a bit disappointed to find a punnet on the gift table.
9. Strawberries contain more vitamin C than
One cup of strawberry halves (around 152g) provides 89g of vitamin C. Who would have thought! They also contain vitamin K as well as providing a good dose of fibre, folic acid, manganese and potassium. The significant amounts of phytonutrients and flavanoids they also contain is the reason why strawberries are bright red.
10. Strawberries are the best fruit.
Well we think so anyway! Not only are they nutritionally great for you, make you feel good and are linked to love, they are also incredibly amazing in lots of dishes and very versatile. Use them for jams and chutneys, eat them on their own or with cream, serve them on a tart or cheesecake – the list is endless. And not surprising really, after all, who doesn’t love a strawberry?
