Home Today Is The Fear Of Strawberries Is “Fragariaphobia”

The Fear Of Strawberries Is “Fragariaphobia”

Every May 20 National Pick Strawberries Day is observed.   There is something special about the taste of a sun-warmed strawberry picked straight off of the vine.

Strawberry picking time is usually between late April and throughout the summer, depending on what part of the United States you live. When harvesting strawberries, you want to look for the bright red, firm and plump ones.

  • Strawberries are members of the rose family
  • Strawberries are the only fruit with their seeds on the outside
  • Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C
  • Strawberries are low-fat, low in calories and a good source of fiber, folic acid and potassium
  • Strawberries help can help fight bad cholesterol and may reduce inflammation
  • The first strawberries were grown in France in the late 18th century.  Prior to the 18th century, wild strawberries were collected and commonly used as a fruit source.
  • Some of the earliest accounts of strawberries came from ancient Rome circa 200 BC. The first sketch of a strawberry plant was printed in 1484.
  • Early publications spoke of medicinal uses for strawberries, not as edible fruit.
  • 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.
  • In the 12th Century Saint Hildegard von Binger pronounced strawberries unfit to eat because they may have been contaminated by snakes and toads due to the fact that they were grown so close to the ground.
  • In the mid-18th century, Charles Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist, put this superstition to rest by switching to a diet consisting only of strawberries to prove them edible.
  • The strawberry belongs to the genus Fragraria in the rose family, along with apples and plums. The name of the scientific classification was derived from the Old Latin word for fragrant.  The modern Italian word for strawberry is still “Fragola”.
  • The strawberry is not classified by botanists as a true berry. True berries, such as blueberries and cranberries have seeds inside. The strawberry, however has its dry, yellow “seeds” on the outside (each of which is actually considered a separate fruit).
  • Native American Indians called strawberries “heart-seed berries” and pounded them into their traditional corn-meal bread.
  • In fourteenth-century France, Charles V ordered twelve hundred strawberry plants to be grown in the Royal Gardens of the Louvre.
  • On the average, there are 200 tiny seeds in every strawberry.
  • If all the strawberries produced in California this year were laid berry to berry, they’d wrap around the world 15 times. That’s enough strawberries to provide every U.S. household with 12 pint baskets.
  • Strawberry juice combined with honey will reduce inflammation or sunburn. Rub the mixture thoroughly into the skin before rinsing off with warm water and lemon juice.
  • The largest producing state, California harvests 83% of the strawberries grown in the U.S. on approximately 24,500 acres. And with about 5,000 commercial acres, Florida is the second largest producing state. Ideal temperature for strawberry plants should not exceed higher than 78 degrees or lower than 55 degrees.
  • Every strawberry plant is hand-picked approximately every three days. This is the time in which it takes for strawberries to complete their cycle of turning from green to white to red. There is no storage of fresh strawberries. After picking, they are rushed to coolers where huge fans extract the field heat. Then they are delivered to supermarkets across the country via refrigerated trucks.
  • Strawberries are the first fruit to ripen in the spring.
  • There are 103 species of strawberries.
  • Strawberries can be ​yellow, blue, purple, white, black, and of course, red.
  • Strawberries, as part of a 5 a day fruit & vegetable program, can help reduce the risk of cancer & heart attacks.
  • Strawberries at room temperature are sweeter than cold strawberries.
  • Do not wash strawberries until ready to eat them as it speeds up spoiling.
  • In a test, subjects who ate nitrate rich foods like strawberries, before exercising burned 100 more calories than those who did not.
  • Americans eat 3.4 pounds of fresh strawberries each year plus another 1.8 pounds frozen per capita.
  • Belgium has a museum dedicated to strawberries. In the gift shop at Le Musée de la Fraise (The Strawberry Museum), you can buy everything from strawberry jam to strawberry beer.
  • 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.
  • May 21-27 is Strawberry Week in Delaware. And yes, it’s celebrated annually.
  • Strawberries contain more vitamin C than oranges and they help in reducing inflammations. They are great even for treating cataracts and other eye diseases.
  • In Sweden, strawberries are a traditional dessert served on St John’s Day, also known as Midsummer’s Eve.
  • In Greece, strawberries are usually sprinkled with sugar and then dipped in Metaxa, a famous brandy, and served as a dessert.
  • Strawberries and cream is a popular dessert during the British summer, famously consumed at the Wimbledon tennis tournament.
  • In Italy, strawberries have been used for various desserts and as a popular flavoring for gelato (gelato alla fragola)
  • It is believed that Strawberry Shortcake was developed by the colonists by modifying an Indian recipe that created “strawberry bread” by mixing and then baking crushed strawberries with cornmeal.

Sources:

National Day Calendar

Mobile-Cuisine

London Strawberry Festival

Country Living

Food Republic

Facts Legend

Just Fun Facts

2 COMMENTS