Author: Sylwia Sałyga 06 February 2023 13:18 Unfavourable temperatures and a shortage of workers to harvest strawberries will be the biggest challenges in the new cropping season. There were many problems for the strawberry crop in the 2022 season. In particular, many were due to the changing climate, which poses major challenges for strawberry growers. More. Go to the article Sadyogrody.pl Sadyogrody.pl is a unique Polish portal that is an invaluable source of information and inspiration for the fruit and vegetable production and trade and processing industry. Its content is current, professional, and always up-to-date, so readers can be sure that they have access to the most important and latest industry information.
Contents
Do strawberries exist?
The Strawberry: A Multiple Fruit When we think of fruits and vegetables, we’re pretty sure about which is which. We tend to lump sweet or sour-tasting plants together as fruits, and those plants that are not sugary we consider vegetables. To be more accurate, however, we must consider which part of the plant we are eating.
While vegetables are defined as plants cultivated for their edible parts, the botanical term “fruit” is more specific. It is a mature, thickened ovary or ovaries of a seed-bearing plant, together with accessory parts such as fleshy layers of tissue or “pulp.” Thus, many of the foods we think of casually as fruits, such as rhubarb (of which we eat the leaf stalks), are not fruits at all, and many of our favorite “vegetables” actually fit the definition of fruit, such as the tomato.
As a subcategory of fruits, berries are yet another story. A berry is an indehiscent (not splitting apart at maturity) fruit derived from a single ovary and having the whole wall fleshy. Berries are not all tiny, and they’re not all sweet. Surprisingly, eggplants, tomatoes and avocados are botanically classified as berries.
And the popular strawberry is not a berry at all. Botanists call the strawberry a “false fruit,” a pseudocarp. A strawberry is actually a multiple fruit which consists of many tiny individual fruits embedded in a fleshy receptacle. The brownish or whitish specks, which are commonly considered seeds, are the true fruits, called achenes, and each of them surrounds a tiny seed.
These achenes also make strawberries relatively high in fiber. According to the Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition, one-half cup of strawberries supplies more fiber than a slice of whole wheat bread, and more than 70 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C.
- The cultivated strawberry is a hybrid of two different parent species.
- Because they are hybrids, cultivated strawberries are often able to adapt to extreme weather conditions and environments.
- While California and Florida are the largest producers, strawberries are grown in all 50 states.
- Strawberries are a significant crop in Pennsylvania, but they have a relatively short season.
According to Carolyn Beinlich of Triple B Farms, a local pick-your-own berry farm in Monongahela, Pennsylvania’s ideal strawberry season lasts three and one-half weeks. The plants form their fruit buds in the fall, so adequate moisture at that time is vital.
- Since October 1996 was a rainy month, Beinlich is looking forward to a bountiful strawberry crop this season.
- The recipe shown here is among Beinlich’s favorites for celebrating the strawberry season.
- For more information about Triple B Farms, call 258-3557.
- Lynn Parrucci is program coordinator, and Amy Eubanks is a research assistant, at the Science Center’s Kitchen Theater.
Botanist Sue Thompson of Carnegie Museum of Natural History, also contributed to this article. *** Visit the Kitchen Theater at Carnegie Science Center to learn more about the science of cooking, and get a taste of what we’re cooking and a recipe to take home.
1 quart strawberries, washed and drained well, stems removed 3_4 cup white sugar 11_2 Tablespoons cornstarch 1 1/2 cups water 1 3-ounce package strawberry gelatin 1 9-inch baked pie shell
Boil sugar, cornstarch and water until clear (about 10 minutes). Mix well with strawberries and spoon into pie shell. Refrigerate three hours. Top with whipped cream if desired, and serve. Carolyn Beinlich of Triple B Farms will present a cooking demonstration on strawberries at the Science Center’s Kitchen Theater Sunday, June 1, at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.
Is Black strawberry real?
Black Strawberries Don’t Exist – 
KT studio/Shutterstock Plant Carer says that while dark strawberries exist, they are a very dark purple and not jet black. The first faux black strawberry was created by John Robertson for the photographer Jonathan Knowles more than 20 years ago (via Laid Back Gardener ).
It was made of resin and black spray paint. Perhaps this is where the black strawberry rumor began? Real strawberries can and do grow in several colors. Yet, Nu Plant Care warns that black strawberries don’t exist, so don’t fall for this scam. The site also recommends avoiding any online seller claiming to sell black strawberry seeds.
Nu Plant Care recommends only buying from reputable sellers that offer legitimate seeds that bear real fruit, If you’re disappointed to learn that black strawberries don’t exist, take heart. According to Seeds and Spades, you can find strawberries that grow naturally in many other colors, including red, yellow, white, and purple.
Who created strawberries?
History – Fragaria × ananassa ‘Gariguette,’ a cultivar grown in southern France The first garden strawberry was grown in Brittany, France, during the late 18th century. Prior to this, wild strawberries and cultivated selections from wild strawberry species were the common source of the fruit.
- The strawberry fruit was mentioned in ancient Roman literature in reference to its medicinal use.
- The French began taking the strawberry from the forest to their gardens for harvest in the 14th century.
- Charles V, France’s king from 1364 to 1380, had 1,200 strawberry plants in his royal garden.
- In the early 15th century western European monks were using the wild strawberry in their illuminated manuscripts.
The strawberry is found in Italian, Flemish, and German art, and in English miniatures. The entire strawberry plant was used to treat depressive illnesses. By the 16th century, references of cultivation of the strawberry became more common. People began using it for its supposed medicinal properties and botanists began naming the different species.
- In England the demand for regular strawberry farming had increased by the mid-16th century.
- The combination of strawberries and cream was created by Thomas Wolsey in the court of King Henry VIII,
- Instructions for growing and harvesting strawberries showed up in writing in 1578.
- By the end of the 16th century three European species had been cited: F.
vesca, F. moschata, and F. viridis, The garden strawberry was transplanted from the forests and then the plants would be propagated asexually by cutting off the runners. Two subspecies of F. vesca were identified: F. sylvestris alba and F. sylvestris semperflorens,
- The introduction of F.
- Virginiana from eastern North America to Europe in the 17th century is an important part of history because it is one of the two species that gave rise to the modern strawberry.
- The new species gradually spread through the continent and did not become completely appreciated until the end of the 18th century.
A French excursion journeyed to Chile in 1712, which led to the introduction of a strawberry plant with female flowers that resulted in the common strawberry. The Mapuche and Huilliche Indians of Chile cultivated the female strawberry species until 1551, when the Spanish came to conquer the land.
In 1765, a European explorer recorded the cultivation of F. chiloensis, the Chilean strawberry. At first introduction to Europe, the plants grew vigorously, but produced no fruit. French gardeners in Brest and Cherbourg around the mid-18th century first noticed that when F. moschata and F. virginiana were planted in between rows of F.
chiloensis, the Chilean strawberry would bear abundant and unusually large fruits. Soon after, Antoine Nicolas Duchesne began to study the breeding of strawberries and made several discoveries crucial to the science of plant breeding, such as the sexual reproduction of the strawberry which he published in 1766.
- Duchesne discovered that the female F.
- Chiloensis plants could only be pollinated by male F.
- Moschata or F.
- Virginiana plants.
- This is when the Europeans became aware that plants had the ability to produce male-only or female-only flowers.
- Duchesne determined F.
- Ananassa to be a hybrid of F.
- Chiloensis and F.
virginiana,F. ananassa, which produces large fruits, is so named because it resembles the pineapple in smell, taste and berry shape. In England, many varieties of F. ananassa were produced, and they form the basis of modern varieties of strawberries currently cultivated and consumed.
Are red strawberries real?
Why Are White Strawberries White? – To understand why white strawberries are white, it is best to understand why red strawberries are red. In the life cycle of strawberries, the flowers turn into small, pea-sized green strawberries. They grow as small green strawberries until they reach a certain size and maturity.
They then turn white. As they continue to mature, strawberries which are red when fully ripe make use of proteins to turn from white to red. One of the primary ripening proteins is called Fra a1. Strawberries containing this protein redden into the familiar appearance as they reach full ripeness signaling their readiness to be consumed.
Most white strawberries are either deficient or completely lacking this protein. So, even when they are ripe, they remain white instead of turning red. Their strawberry genetics don’t allow them to become red. So, the reason white strawberries are white is simply because they lack the ability to turn red.
Why have strawberries lost their taste?
( Beyond Pesticides, March 1, 2023) Fungicides sprayed on chemically farmed strawberries reduce their flavor quality, according to research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry this week. This explanation is a major insight for frustrated consumers who may remember when the strawberries sold at retail contained deeper, more complex flavors.
- As the agrichemical industry claims that dangerous pesticides are needed to grow food to feed the world, it is evident these practices health and environmental hazards, but also affect the quality of the food grown.
- As savvy shoppers and gardeners already know, buying and growing organic addresses this range of issues, improving flavor while protecting wildlife and public health.
Scientists developed their study to better understand the mechanisms leading to flavor deterioration by growing strawberry plants in a greenhouse with chemical-intensive practices, including the use of synthetic fertilizers. One group was treated with the fungicide boscalid, another with the fungicide difenconazole, and a control group received no spray.
- Fruits were sprayed beginning at the green, small fruit stage, a total of two times, and collections from each group were taken at the white, turning, and red fruit stage (zero, three, and seven days after the second pesticide application).
- Analysis was conducted on a range of variables, including fruit weight and size, total soluble solids, the fruit sugar-acid ratio, content of flavonoids, phenols, evidence of stress biomarkers, and volatile compounds.
Red ripe fruits from each group were also blind taste tested by a panel of 30 individuals for a range of flavor attributes. Differences in fruit weight and size are not significant between any of the groups. Sugar content increases through ripening as expected for all treatments, but the control group ripe strawberries contain the most sugars (with fructose being the highest content).
- Differences in sugar content are not minute, with the difenconazole expressing 10% less fructose, and boscalid group 25% less.
- At the same time, levels of titratable acid increase in the fungicide treatments, and display the lowest sugar-acid ratio; the control group expresses the highest.
- Treated strawberries show lower levels of flavonoid content and a lower number of total phenols compared to the control.
Analysis found evidence that treated strawberries also have higher levels of oxidative stress. In regards to volatile compounds produced by the fruits, fungicide treated fruit only showed higher levels associated with acids. Measurements of esters, aldehydes, furanones, and terpenes all see a marked decrease after fungicide applications.
- The taste testing panel generally reflects the findings of the scientific analysis.
- All groups score roughly the same on how ripe, fresh, juicy, and firm the strawberry is.
- However, fungicide-treated groups score lower on aroma, and the acid intensity of the sprayed strawberries are rated higher.
- The control group resulted in the highest selection score, followed by the difenconazole and then boscalid-treated group.
For fungicide-treated strawberries, sugars are turned to acids, reducing sweetness, and changes in volatile compounds further reduce aroma and taste. These data add another reason to avoid chemically grown products. In many ways, this is the theme of chemical farming – in trying to simplify rather than embrace the complexity of the environment and growing conditions, this approach makes for a bland and increasingly dull world.
- In addition to flavor, organic products are also the healthier option.
- Organic dairy products have been found to be healthier than those produced through chemical-intensive management practices by increasing the proportion of beneficial amino acids.
- Even processed organic products represent a better choice over their chemical-intensive counterparts.
According to recent data, even switching from a highly processed diet to one rich in fruits, vegetables and nuts is compromised by the presence of pesticides, potentially tripling exposure. Eating organic reduces exposure to pesticides, according to a report by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
And research shows that organic food consumption is associated with higher scores on cognitive tests. Help grow the organic movement, and enshrine practices that lead to healthier, tastier food by participating in Beyond Pesticides’ action alerts aimed at maintaining and improving organic integrity,
See the webpage on Organic Agriculture for more information. All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides. Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Phys.org