Strawberry  Or Two For You  

You might be surprised at some of the questions we get asked about California strawberries. Or maybe you have a few of your own. Either way, here are the answers to some of the questions we hear most. For a chuckle or two, check out the funniest questions we've even been asked below. If you have a favorite story about strawberries, please share it by contacting us!

What's the best method/technique for growing strawberries?
Commercial strawberry growing is not the same as techniques a hobbyist would use. Our advice is to contact your local nursery for growing tips.

What's the best way to store strawberries?
For strawberries to stay fresh, do not wash them right away. Store them in a large container with a dry paper towel at the bottom. Separate the berries by layering them with paper towels to maximize freshness. Just before using, wash strawberries with the caps attached under a gentle spray of cool water. For best flavor, allow strawberries to reach room temperature before serving

Can I freeze strawberries?
In a saucepan, mix equal amounts of sugar and water. Stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is clear. Cool the mixture completely. Measure one cup of stemmed and sliced strawberries into a pint sized freezer bag. Pour one-half to two-thirds of a cup of the sugar water mixture into the bag... just enough to completely cover the strawberries. Seal and freeze the bag in a single layer. Because the moisture content of strawberries varies throughout the season, it's recommended that home frozen strawberries be used in beverages and sauces, not in recipes where liquid variations could make a difference. (Commercially frozen strawberries are consistent in texture and density.)

How Many Seeds Are on a Strawberry?
On the average, there are 200 tiny seeds on every strawberry.

Do Small Berries Taste Better Than Large Ones?
Flavor is influenced by growing conditions (i.e., weather), stage of ripeness when harvested, and the variety. Size is not a factor in determining flavor.

How Much Vitamin C is in Strawberries?
Eight medium-sized strawberries contain 93 percent of the U.S. RDA for Vitamin C. In addition, strawberries are good sources of folic acid, potassium and fiber. Studies have shown that expectant mothers should consume 400 micrograms of foliate daily to help prevent neural tube birth defects. Potassium and fiber are fundamental parts of a healthy diet. Best of all, strawberries are also fat-free and low in calories (only 45 calories per serving).

Funniest Questions We’ve Ever Been Asked:

• Can you send me a picture of a strawberry tree?
• What are those things on the outside of strawberries that look like seeds?
• What does a stem berry look like?
• Can you send me a branch from a raspberry bush?
• Is Sweet-N-Low applied to fresh strawberries before they go to market to maintain their sweetness.

Strawberries are indigenous to both the northern and southern hemispheres. They have been found growing by the seaside, in the woods, and on mountain tops. The strawberry was first described in literature as early as 1000AD and the first sketch of a strawberry plant was printed in 1484. The first mention of strawberries occurred sometime between 234-149 BC in the writings of Cato, a Roman Senator.

 The first descriptions published were mostly for the medicinal uses of the plant and not for the benefits of the fruit. For a period of time in the 12th Century Saint Hildegard von Binger, then an abbess, pronounced that strawberries were unfit to eat due to the fact that they grew close to the ground; it was thought that the fruit was contaminated by the snakes and toads that may have touched them. This, along with the support of her theory by local political figures, caused many people to avoid the fruit and decreased its growing popularity. Charles Linnaeus, however, put this superstition to rest by prescribing for himself a diet of only the fruit.

Strawberries began to be sold at a London marketplace around 1831. They were most likely harvested from nearby fields or woodlands and not from "commercial" production areas. In England and mainland Europe as the consumption of strawberries became more popular, many commoners as well as aristocrats would have a patch in their home gardens. France, though, became the front runner in strawberry production.

The word Strawberry is in itself, peculiar to the English language. The name has a variety of possible origins. Straw was commonly used to mulch the plants during the winter and as weed and soil control to keep the berries cleaner. In London children used to collect the berries, string them on pieces of straw, then sell them at the markets as "Straws of Berries". The runners which the plants produce are said to be strewn or dispersed around the plant. In some literature the fruit is called strawberry. In Latin the fruit is referred to as "Fragra" or Fragrant. Charles Linneaus gave strawberry the species name of Fragaria. In French, Italian, and Spanish the fruit is referred to as a "Fraise" or fragrant berry. The Narragansett Indians of North America called the fruit "wuttahimneash" or "heart berry".

The explorer Cartier brought strawberries back to France from his first trip to the Quebec Province of Canada in 1534 while another explorer, Hariot, brought plant specimens with him from Virginia to London. Other strawberry plants were brought to Europe from Chile and Peru where they had been cultivated and marketed long before the Spanish arrived. The strawberry plants found native in North America, were superior to all European varieties in size, flavor, and beauty. Only in 1697 were the first detailed accounts of strawberry production for larger fruit, including correct soil conditions, pest problems etc. written by the gardener at Versailles. In the 18th Century one of the first breeding crosses was made to improve the strawberry. A Virginia variety with good flavor and fruitfulness was crossed with a Chilean variety which lent the resultant offspring both size and firmness. This variety became known as the Pineapple or Pine strawberry due to its distinctive flavor.

Strawberry Jokes

 :-) Why were the little strawberries upset?...Because they were in a JAM!

:-) What do strawberries wear to bed?... Their JAMmies!

:-) Where do strawberries like to go for vacation?... JAMaica!

:-) Want is the most common injury among strawberries?... JAMs!

:-) What do you call a strawberry party?... A JAMboree!

:-) What did the Jamaican strawberry say?... "We be JAMmin' Mon!"

:-) What do you call a strawberry in a suitcase?... JAM packed!

:-) What do you get when you put strawberries in your socks?... Toe JAM!

:-) What is a strawberries favorite instrument?... A JAMbourine!

:-) What do call a bunch of little strawberries in their cars?... A traffic JAM!

Hmmmm Strawberries
Did you see PastryWiz visits Strawberry Land?

1. Strawberries with Champagne Ice
2. Jenina's Strawberry Jam
3. Strawberry Tarts
4. Strawberry Banana Soup
5. Strawberry Daiquiri
6. Strawberry French Toast
7. Strawberry Spring Salad
8. STRAWBERRY TARTLETS
9. Strawberry Tiramisu Cake
10. Strawberries Italian Style
11. Strawberry Wine Punch
12. Fruit Shakes
13. STRAWBERRY WATERMELON SLUSH
14. Strawberry Shortcake
15. Strawberry Pecan Streusel Muffins
16. Strawberry Cheesecake
17. Diabetic Strawberry/Banana Milkshake
18. Strawberry Carrot Cake
19. Glazed Strawberry Lemon Streusel Muffins
20. Strawberry Buckle
21. Diabetic Strawberry Jam
22. STRAWBERRY CREAM CAKE
23. Strawberry Cream Cheese Pound cake
24. Fresh Strawberry Fruit Tarts
25. Strawberry Chicken Salad
26. Strawberry Nut Dessert Pizza
27. Lemon Strawberry Cake Roll
28. CHOCOLATE-STRAWBERRY-ORANGE WEDDING CAKE

• Curley Fletcher's "The Strawberry Roan," written in 1915, had 15 verses.  The popular 1930’s songwriters and radio personalities Fred Howard and Nat Vincent (“The Happy Chappies”) reworked the lyrics and the song quickly became one of the most often recorded cowboy songs.  It is included in The Big Roundup from CowboyPoetry.com and New West Library:

The Strawberry Roan

I was laying round town just spending my time
Out of a job and not makin' a dime
When up steps a feller and he says, "I suppose
That you're a bronc rider by the looks of your clothes?"

He guesses me right. "And a good one I'll claim
Do you happen to have any bad ones to tame?"
He says he's got one that's a good one to buck
And at throwing good riders he's had lots of luck.

He says this old pony has never been rode
And the man that gets on him is bound to be throwed
I gets all excited and I ask what he pays
To ride this old pony a couple of days.

He says, "Ten dollars." I says, "I'm your man
The bronc never lived that I cannot fan
The bronc never tried nor never drew breath
That I cannot ride till he starves plumb to death."

He says, "Get your saddle.  I'll give you a chance."
We got in the buggy and went to the ranch
We waited till morning, right after chuck
I went out to see if that outlaw could buck.

Down in the corral, a-standin' alone
Was this little old caballo, a strawberry roan
He had little pin ears that touched at the tip
And a big forty-four brand was on his left hip.

He was spavined all round and he had pidgeon toes
Little pig eyes and a big Roman nose
He was U-necked and old with a long lower jaw
You could tell at a glance he was a regular outlaw.

I buckled on my spurs, I was feeling plumb fine
I pulled down my hat and I curls up my twine
I threw the loop at him, right well I knew then
Before I had rode him I'd sure earn my ten.

I got the blind on him with a terrible fight
Cinched on the saddle and girdled it tight
Then I steps up on him and pulled down the blind
And sat there in the saddle to see him unwind.

He bowed his old neck and I'll say he unwound
He seemed to quit living down there on the ground
He went up to the east and came down to the west
With me in the saddle, a-doing my best.

He sure was frog-walkin', I heaved a big sigh
He only lacked wings for to be on the fly
He turned his old belly right up to the sun
For he was a sun-fishin' son of a gun.

He was the worst bronco I've seen on the range
He could turn on a nickel and leave you some change
While he was buckin' he squalled like a shoat
I tell you that outlaw, he sure got my goat.

I tell all the people that pony could step
And I was still on him a-buildin' a rep
He came down on all fours and turned up on his side
I don't see how he kept from losing his hide.

I lost my stirrups, I lost my hat,
I was pullin' at leather as blind as a bat
With a phenomenal jump he made a high dive
And set me a-winding up there through the sky.

I turned forty flips and came down to the earth
And sit there a-cussing the day of his birth

I know there's some ponies that I cannot ride
Some of them living, they haven't all died.
But I bet all money there's no man alive
That can ride Old Strawberry when he makes that high dive.

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