Strawberry Fun Facts
Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside. A berry has its seeds on the inside.
Since the seeds are on the outside, strawberries aren't true berries, like blueberries or grapes.
Each seed is considered by botanists to be its own separate fruit.
The average strawberry has 200 seeds.
Most strawberry plants reproduce from runners despite the fact that seeds can grow into plants.
The strawberry plant is a perennial. Plant one and it will come back year after year.
Strawberry plants may not bear fruit immediately, but once it does, it remains productive for about 5 years.
Strawberries are the first fruit to ripen in the spring.
Strawberries are a member of the rose family.
There are 3 different types of strawberries: June-bearing, ever bearing and day neutral. The most popular is June-bearing.
There are 103 species of strawberries.
Strawberries can be yellow, blue, purple, white, black, and of course, red.
The garden strawberry is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus Fragaria, collectively known as the strawberries. It is cultivated worldwide for its fruit.
Growing Strawberries in hanging containers is gaining in popularity.
Strawberries, as part of a 5 a day fruit & vegetable program, can help reduce the risk of cancer & heart attacks.
Strawberries are low fat, low calorie; high in vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, potassium.
Strawberries contain more vitamin C than oranges.
Strawberries contain no cholesterol.
Strawberries at room temperature are sweeter than cold strawberries.
Do not wash strawberries until ready to eat them as it speeds up spoiling.
Eating strawberries, which are rich in nitrate, can increase the flow of blood & oxygen to the muscles by 7%. This prevents muscle fatigue, making exercise easier.
Strawberries help the brain & muscles work better. They are good for your bones & hormones. They can prevent memory loss.
In a test, subjects who ate nitrate rich foods like strawberries, before exercising burned 100 more calories than those who did not.
Over 53 percent of seven to nine-year-olds picked strawberries as their favorite fruit.
Ninety-four percent of US households consume strawberries.
Americans eat 3.4 pounds of fresh strawberries each year plus another 1.8 pounds frozen per capita.
California produces 80% of the strawberries in the US.
Europeans discovered the Virginia wild strawberry in 1588.
Commercial strawberry production began in 1800. Only selections of the native Fragaria virginiana were raised till 1840.
There is a museum in Belgium just for strawberries.
Strawberries were found in Rome in 234 BC
The ancient Romans believed that strawberries alleviated symptoms of melancholy, fainting, all inflammations, fevers, throat infections, kidney stones, bad breath, attacks of gout, and diseases of the blood, liver and spleen.
To symbolize perfection and righteousness, medieval stone masons carved strawberry designs on altars and around the tops of pillars in churches and cathedrals.
In parts of Bavaria, country folk still practice the annual rite each spring of tying small baskets of wild strawberries to the horns of their cattle as an offering to elves. They believe that the elves, are passionately fond of strawberries, will help to produce healthy calves and an abundance of milk in return.
Madame Tallien, a prominent figure at the court of the Emperor Napoleon, was famous for bathing in the juice of fresh strawberries. She used 22 pounds per basin. Needless to say, she did not bathe daily.
In medieval times, strawberries were served at important functions to bring peace & prosperity.
Folk lore states that if you split a double strawberry in half and share it with the opposite sex, you’ll soon fall in love.
In France, Strawberries were thought to be an aphrodisiac. A soup made of strawberries, thinned sour cream, borage, & powered sugar was served to newlyweds.
The fear of strawberries is call fragariaphobia.
