32 Facts about Strawberry

indeewari Ranasinghe — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 17:14:39 +0000

So, You are here to get to know all the facts about Strawberry It’s 32 facts about Strawberries. As it seems no one has talked this much facts about strawberries and today, we are going to reveal 32 facts about Strawberries here.

01. Why are Strawberries Called as Strawberries?

One theory is that forest pickers tie them to pieces of straw to take them to market. Others believe that the surface of the fruit is covered with pieces of straw. Others think the name came from the Old English word meaning “to strew”.

02. What are Strawberries?

Strawberry (or just strawberry; Fragaria × ananassa) is a hybrid of a widely grown hybrid of the genus Fragaria, collectively known as strawberries, grown worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is popular with its distinctive aroma, bright red color, watery texture, and sweetness. It is used in large quantities as fresh or prepared foods such as jam, juice, pies, ice cream, milkshakes, and chocolates. Artificial strawberry flavors and aromas are also widely used in products such as sweets, soaps, lip gloss, perfumes, and many others.

The strawberry was first produced in Brittany, France, in the 1750s by the cross of the Fragaria virginiana from eastern North America and the Fragaria chiloensis, brought from Chile by Amédée-François Frézier in 1714. Fragaria × ananassa varieties have replaced, in commercial production, wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca), which were the first strawberry varieties grown in the early 17th century.

Strawberries are not, in the view of plants, berries. Technically, the fruit is used in combination, which means that the fleshy part is not removed from the plant’s eggs but from the egg-storage container. Each visible “seed” (achene) outside the fruit is actually one of the flower eggs, with seeds inside it.

In 2017, land production of strawberries was 9.2 million tons, led by China at 40% of the total.

03. Nutrient Composition of Strawberry

Strawberry contains a huge number of nutrients. It’s rich in many nutritive and non-nutritive bioactive compounds which helps in promoting health and disease prevention.

04. Bioactive compounds

Bioactive compounds which contain in strawberry are very important in preventing diseases in the human body. it contains a remarkably high amount of folate and Vitamin C, Anthocyanins (Pelargonidin-3-glucoside), flavanols (catechins and procyanidins) are known as the compounds with high antioxidant capacity. (1)

Strawberries contain vitamins like Thiamine(B₁), Riboflavin(B₂), Niacin(B₃), Pantothenic acid (B₅), Vitamin B₆, Folate(B9), Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K and minerals like Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, Zinc. With these compounds, studies have shown that the phytochemicals in strawberry help in,

Health Benefits of Strawberry

05. Strawberry to Boost your Immune

Do you know Strawberry is one of the best food that can boost your immune? Strawberries are very rich in Vitamin C which is a well-known immunity-boosting Nutrient. A cup of strawberries can fulfill your daily requirement. So you can add strawberry to your daily diet and toughen your immunity. There are many other fruits like mango, papaya, Pineapple, Watermelon, Citrus fruits(orange, grapefruit) that contain Vitamin C.

Also, Antioxidants in Strawberry helps in protecting your body from free radicals. The body has many endogenous and exogenous free radicals which cause many diseases. Strawberry has marked as an excellent fruit with a wide range of beneficial effects with antioxidants in preventing disease by neutralizing free radicals. (2)

06. Strawberry to Reduce inflammation

Did you know that Strawberries, most the berries are the best fruits for arthritis? Arthritis Foundation has shown that strawberry is one of the best food for arthritis and they say a person can reduce C-reactive protein (CRP) to the lowest level by eating around 16 or more strawberries per week. (3).

CRP is a measure of body-wide inflammation linked to arthritis flares. Also, elevated CRP level can cause rheumatoid arthritis (RA), lupus, Ceratin types of Inflammatory bowel disease such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, (4)

You can use olive oil, green leafy vegetables, fatty fish, almonds and walnuts, oranges also help you in reducing inflammation.

So, You are here to get to know all the facts about strawberries It’s 100 facts about Strawberries. As it seems no one has talked this much facts about strawberries and today, we are going to reveal 100 (Let’s say ALL) facts about Strawberries here.

07. Strawberry to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular diseases are a leading global health problem and studies have shown that eating fruits inversely related to cardiovascular disease. Strawberry and blueberry are some of the best fruits which can prevent this disease. Harvard Medical college studies have revealed,

women who ate the fewest blueberries and strawberries were at increased risk of heart attack. Those who ate the most were 34% less likely to have suffered a heart attack than were women who ate the least of these fruits.

Studies say that having three or more half a cup of blueberries or strawberries per week can help in preventing heart disease amazingly. (5)

You can use Avacados, Walnuts, Beans, Dark Chocalates, Leafy green vegetables, Fatty fish as other foods that have the ability in preventing CV disease.

08. Strawberry to Prevent Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is not a specific condition. It refers to a set of disease risk factors that cause cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, tissue damage. As symptoms of metabolic syndrome person may have at least three out of the following five symptoms.

Central, visceral, abdominal obesity, specifically, a waist size of more than 40 inches in men and more than 35 inches in women
Fasting blood glucose levels of 100 mg/dL or above
Blood pressure of 130/85 mm/Hg or above
Blood triglycerides levels of 150 mg/dL or higher
High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels of 40 mg/dL or less for men and 50 mg/dL or less for women (6)

09. Strawberry to prevent obesity

Strawberry is an excellent source of anthocyanins and ellagic acid. Both anthocyanins and ellagic acid slow down the digestion rate of starchy foods and this controls the rising of blood sugar level when having starch meals. This effect is beneficial in people with Type 2 Diabetes also.

Anthocyanin can increase the level of the hormone adiponectin which helps in stimulating body metabolism and aids in weight lossing. (8)

Strawberry is rich with fiber and this helps in assisting weight loss. Fiber induces satiety and this may feel you full for a long time. If you are full, you will not eat other starchy or fatten foods.

You can use whole grains, vegetables, Nuts, Seeds, whole fruits (not juices) as other foods that help in reducing obesity.

10. Antidiabetic Activities

Most of the time people with diabetes often aim to have foods with a low glycemic load. So, most of the time you may have to limit certain foods. That’s true but if you are a big fan of strawberry you don’t have to stop eating this fruit.

Strawberries have a very low calory level, on average a cup of strawberries has 46 calories. You should maintain a healthy weight and this will help in reducing sugar level naturally. So, eating strawberry alone helps in reducing the sugar levels in your body. (9)

Strawberry contains fiber. Fiber can reduce the absorption of sugar in digestion. Also, It makes you feel full for longer and then this contributes to healthy weight management.

Also, Strawberry contains magnesium and this improves insulin resistance and reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Vitamin C in Strawberry can lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and it helps in reducing sugar levels in the blood after meals. (9)

Also, add Cinnaomon, Eggs, Tumeric, Nuts, Leafy Greens, Fatty fish and these will be help you in reducing the risk of diabetes.

11. Strawberry to Regulate Blood Pressure

High blood pressure has become one of the most severe diseases all over the world. High blood pressure may lead to risk of heart attacks. But this condition can be prevented just by using a healthy diet. You must need to cut down salts. And you must need to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. When considering fruits, studies have shown that strawberry is one of the best fruits that can reduce high blood pressure.

As mentioned above diseases, strawberry is an excellent resource of anthocyanin which is a type of flavanoid and studies have shown that this has an 8% reduction in the risk of high blood pressure. Compared to other resources, strawberry is giving high enough daily requirements for the human body. (10)

One of the research has done an experiment on how 4-week strawberry intake helps in reducing blood pressure. So, they say, (11)

Daily intake of strawberries may improve endothelial function and acute changes in blood pressure, independent of other metabolic changes, and may be considered a specific food/fruit to include in a heart-healthy diet in overweight or obese subjects with moderate hypercholesterolemia.

12. Strawberry can Boost your Brain functions

The food that we eat day to day has a big impact on our health and on our brain also. If you are eating brain-boosting diet, this will help in both short and long-term brain functions.

The brain is an organ that consumes 20% of the body’s calories. So, it must need plenty of nutritious food to maintain the brain cells and the concentration throughout the day. To keep the brain healthy, we must supply nutrients like Omega-3 fatty acids which help in building and repairing brain cells. Also, antioxidants will help in reducing inflammation and stress, which can cause in aging of the brain and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. (12)

In these diseases berries do an excellent work on,

Reducing inflammation
Improving Neuro cells transmissions
Boosting memory and cognitive ability,
Reducing the cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases

As, other foods that you can add in boosting your brain functions are Dark Chocolate, Blueberries, Grains, Coffee, Avacados, peanuts, Eggs, Broccoli, Soy products. (12)

13. Anticancer Properties of Strawberries

Cancers have become a vast disaster all over the world and it reports 606,520 cancer deaths and 1,806,590 new cancer cases in the United States. So, you see a huge amount of people are suffering from this disease. Actually this huge number is mostly because of the food we eat. Most of them have many more chemicals that cause many diseases in our body. With the accumulation of these chemicals, it causes cancers in our body.

Strawberry contains a huge number of phenolic compounds that contribute to biological properties. So, these bioactive compounds give anti-cancer properties through various functionalities such as inducing metabolizing enzymes, modulizing gene expression, etc. (13)

Also, as a huge source of ellagic acid, it can exert an anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic effect. (13)

Like this, strawberry has huge potential in preventing cancers. When considering other foods that have anti-cancer properties, you can eat Apples, Cruciferous vegetables, Carrots, Fatty fish, Walnuts, Legumes. (14)

14. Antimicrobial activities of Strawberries

There are trillions of microbes in our body and some may cause many diseases. So, Antimicrobial activity refers to the process of inhibiting or killing these disease-causing microbes. They can be anti-bacterial, anti-viral, or anti-fungal.

In Antimicrobial activities, strawberry does excellent work with its nutrients such as folate, Vitamin C, several phytochemicals, and phenolic compounds. According to a study, (15)

Strawberry extracts showed a zone of inhibition of up to 18 mm against E. coli through the method of agar well diffusion

This way strawberry is doing an excellent job on Antimicrobial activity. (15)

How to Grow Strawberry

15. Three Types of Strawberry Plants

There are 3 Types of Strawberry Plants

June-Bearing varieties
- Sensitive to the length of the day, these varieties produce autumn shoots, flowers, and fruit the following June, and runners during the long summer days. Although referred to as “June-bearing” or “June-bearers,” these strawberries carry before June in warmer climates.
EverBearing varieties
- These varieties form buds during long summer days and short autumn days. Summer-shoots and fruits in autumn. And autumn-formed shoots fruit the following spring
Day-Neutral varieties
- Resistant to the length of the day, these species produce shoots, fruit, and runners continuously when the temperature stays between 35 ° and 85 ° F (1 ° to 30 ° C). Production is lower than those carrying June.

16. When to Plant Strawberries

Plan planting as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring.
Establish new plants each year to keep the quality of the berries high each season. Strawberry plants produce runners (daughter plants) that can cut and make daughter plants
Always try to use disease-resistant plants from a reputable nursery. Contact an Agricultural extension officer to find out the recommended variety for your area.

17. How to Choose a Planting site for Strawberries

Strawberry plants need 6-10 hours a day in direct sunlight, so choose your planting area appropriately.
Strawberries tolerate different types of soil, although they prefer loamy soils that can drain out water easily. Ideally, start working on mature fertilizer or compost a few months before planting. If it’s clay soil, mix usually 4 inches or more of compost, and hold the clay soil into raised mounds for further water drainage improvement. If your soil is sandy, just dig a little deeper to get rid of weeds, and mix one inch [1 cm] of rich compost or rotten compost.
Soil pH should be around 5.5 and 7. If necessary, change your soil before planting. If the soil in your area is naturally alkaline, it is better to plant strawberries in half bins or other large containers filled with composted soil.
The planting area must be well-drained. Raised beds are an excellent alternative to strawberry plants.
Practice crop rotation to be more effective. Unless you plan to amend your soil every year, do not plant in a newly planted strawberry, tomato, pepper or egg plant.

18. How to Plant Strawberries

Provide ample space for exhaustion. Set the plants 20 inches apart to leave the runners’ space and leave four feet between rows. Strawberries are a growing plant. Seedlings will send runners and then they will send out their own runners.
Make the planting holes deep and wide enough to cover the entire root system without bending. However, do not plant too deep! The roots should be covered, but the crown should be on the surface of the soil. It is very important that you do NOT bury the crown (Called central growing bud) or it could rot. Flowers, Leaves, and fruits must have light and fresh air.
To settle its roots in the ground, water the plants well during planting.
You can use runners from last year to grow new Strawberries.

19. How to Grow Strawberries

Keep strawberry beds mulched to reduce water requirements and weed infestation. You can use pine straw and shredded leaves for mulching.
Be diligent in removing weeds. It needs to remove weeds by hand, especially in the first months after planting.
Moisture is incredibly important for strawberries because of the shallow roots. Water enough, about one inch per square foot per week. Strawberry plants need a lot of water when runners and flowers grow and also in late summer when the plants are fully grown and preparing for winter dormancy.
Add enough Fertilizer. In warmer climates, the berries ripen in about 30 days after the fertilization of blossoms.
In the first year, cut the flowers so that you do not let the strawberry plants bear fruit. If they are not allowed to bear fruit, they will use their food reserves to build healthy roots instead, which is a good thing. The fruit will be very large in the second year.
Remove runner plants when needed. The first and second generations can give higher yields. Try to keep the daughter plants spaced about 10 inches apart.
Line coverings are a great way to protect flowers and fruits from birds.

20. Winter Care of Strawberries

Strawberry is a perennial crop. They are naturally cold and will survive cold temperatures. Therefore, if your area has a pleasant winter, it needs a little care

In regions where temperatures drop regularly to 20 (Fahrenheit), strawberries will come to the dormant stage. It is best to provide winter protection:

When the growing season is over, cut or cut the leaves into one inch. This can be done after the first frost, or when the air reaches 20 ° F (-6 ° C).
Mulch grows four inches deep with grass, pine needles, or other organic material.
In colder climates even higher, a protective cover should be installed.
Natural rainfall should retain sufficient soil moisture.
Remove the mulch in early spring, after the risk of frost has passed.

21. Pests and Diseases

Gray Mold
Powdery Mildew
Japanese Beetles
Spider Mites

22. Harvest and Storage

Fruits are usually ready to be harvested 4-6 weeks after flowering.
Harvest only red (ripe) berries, and pick every three days.
Cut at the stem; do not pull the berry or you may damage the plant.
For strawberries carrying June, the harvest will last up to three weeks. You should have plenty of berries, depending on the variety.

23. How to Store Strawberries

Store unwashed berries in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Strawberries can be kept frozen for about two months.

24. Varieties of Strawberries

‘Northeaster’ is best suited in southeastern Canada and the northeastern US. The fruit has a strong taste and aroma.
‘Sable’ is strong in zone 3, first season, good taste.
‘Primetime’ is a mild flavored, disease-resistant variety, best suited to the Mid-Atlantic.
The ‘Cardinal’ is a good variety to try in the South.
‘Camarosa’ is a beautiful variety to try on the West Coast.
‘Tristar’ is a neutral variety for day light that is best suited for hanging baskets.

25. What are the experiments done on Strawberries

Strawberry Recipes

26. Strawberry liqueur

So, this is how you can make Strawberry liqueur

Fresh Strawberries: Just keep in mind that strawberries should fill half the jar we want to fill with our liqueur. Therefore, wash them under running water and dry them thoroughly with paper towels or a cloth cloth, remove the leaves and cut them in half. Never use plastic jars, use glass jars with a non-slip seal.

Sugar syrup: syrup is made with water and white sugar. Use same amount of sugar and water (500ml of water, 500g of sugar likewise).
Grab a bowl, add water and bring to a boil, reduce heat, add sugar and stir with a spoon until all the sugar has dissolved and the lumps have disappeared. It is important to keep the syrup at room temperature.

Alcohol: You can use brandy or vodka, as long as it is white to take on the strawberry red color.

Cinnamon stick: use two cinnamon sticks for 500ml of alcohol

Step 1: Fill a strawberry pot to about halfway through
Step 2: add cinnamon
Step 3: Fill with alcohol
Step 4: Close the jar and allow to rest for 30 to 45 months (30 – 45 days) in a dry and dark place (shake it occasionally).
Step 5: Strain the pot using coffee, cloth, or paper filter, place the filter on top, and filter all the mixture
Step 6: mix in a pot or any other pre-filtered mixture with sugar syrup, you should measure the same amount of this, mix with a spoon to mix them
Step 7: Allow it to rest for a week before eating, even if it is already drinking.

The great thing is that this liqueur has no expiration date.

27. Strawberry Extract

Making strawberry extract at home is very similar to applying water or vodka, but the liquid ratio to strawberries is significantly lower. Note that other types of alcohol such as bourbon or rum can be used to make the extract, but the taste of those alcohols will affect the overall notes and the flavor of the extract.

Even more concentrated flavors take months or more to develop, but once an extract is made, it remains for many more months. Follow these recipes to make a strawberry extract or any other extract you like.

Total time: 8 weeks | Preparation time: 15 minutes | Serving: 1 bottle of strawberry extract

Raw materials: 3/4 cup strawberries (finely chopped), 1 cup of vodka or vinegar

Equipment: 1 clean glass jar, Cheesecloth, Funnel, Clean & dark dropper bottles

Steps:

Put all the parts in a glass jar in boiling water for 15 minutes to clean it before using the extract.
Allow both glass jar and lid to dry and allow to cool.
Then add finely chopped strawberries to a clean dry glass jar. Two-thirds of the jar should be filled with dried strawberries, so if the jar is not nearly filled, add more fruit.
Pour vinegar or vodka over the strawberries, making sure the fruit is completely immersed in the liquid. Do not be afraid to gently push the fruit down.
Store the fruit and vodka or vinegar mixture in a cool dark place, such as a pantry, for 8 weeks. Shake the jar daily to flip the mixture over and check if all the fruit is soaked in alcohol or vinegar.
If at some point the fruit is not under vodka or vinegar, add more liquid until all the ids are completely covered by the liquid.
After 8 weeks, strain the mixture through a cheesecloth. This helps prevent any seeds or sediments from entering the strawberry extract.
Using a funnel, pour the strawberry extract into clean, dark drip bottles.
Store in a cool dry place.

You can buy Strawberry extract from Amazon

28. Strawberry mochi

Ingredients:

2 cups (320 grams) mochiko (glutinous rice flour)
2 cups (475 mL) water
1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
1 can anko (red bean paste – optional)
More mochiko, for dusting/or use corn starch if it’s easier
Whole strawberries, rinsed and hulled
Cooking spray or oil, to avoid stickiness

Steps :

Fold the strawberries with the red beans and set them aside.
Mix water, mochiko, and sugar until smooth.
Coat a microwave-safe container with oil or cooking spray.
Pour the batter into a shallow layer.
Cover with an airtight lid or wrap in plastic and microwave ovens for 7 minutes on High or until done.
Dust the work surface or cutting board with mochiko flour.
Pull a small piece of dough, roll it into a ball, and flatten it down.
Take a whole strawberry, place it in the middle of a flat piece, and squeeze it to close it to make a nice ball full of strawberry.
It’s yours.

29. Strawberry Essential Oil

strawberry oil ( ananassa × Fragaria) is produced by cold pressing the fruit seeds and thus preserves body nutrients, such as Anti-aging, blocking ultraviolet radiation, shining hair, lightening the skin and more.
Massage: Easy to sew and easy to rub on the skin. You can apply it to your body after a bath, to enjoy the healing effect from its pleasant aroma. The nourishing ingredients will not leave your skin smooth and soft, but your whole body will feel relaxed.

30. How to make Strawberry puree (Sauce)

So, What is Strawberry puree?? We can just call it as Strawberry Sauce which is a delicious combination of strawberries and sugar. Very simple steps. And you all need is process either frozen or fresh unsweetened sauce, along with sugar, until smooth.

Ingredients :

Large fresh strawberries (6)
2 tablespoons of sugar
Water
White sugar

Steps :

Wash the strawberries and remove the green top of each strawberries.
Cut each strawberry in half lengthwise and place in a pot.
Add white sugar – at least 2 tablespoons
Add cup of water and heat the medium
Boil for around 15 mins to heat the medium
After around 7-10 minutes stir it and mash it with a fork or spoon
After 5 more minutes Stir again
Turn off the heat and put sauce in a serving bowl.

31. How to make Strawberry milk

Everyone loves Strawberry you know. So, here you are going to make a strawberry Milk. And let’s go…

Ingredients :

12 strawberries
2 cups of oat milk
1 tbs sugar