Strawberries: Guest blog from Tessa, the Thrifty Cook

Strawberries, the taste of summer and not surprisingly, they are one of the most widely consumed fruits in the world. Britain produced around 52,000 tonnes last year and at Wimbledon alone, 28000kg or 8615 punnets were consumed over the tournament (along with 7000 litres of fresh cream!) This year, I understand that we’re due to have a bumper strawberry harvest due to the warmer weather in March and cooler April.

History of the Strawberry
Strawberries are a member of the Rosaceae family, genus Fragaria, along with roses, raspberries, apples, pears, peaches, plums, apricots and cherries.

The history of strawberries goes back to over 2000 years ago, and wild Italian strawberries can be traced back to 234 BC.
Cultivation in Europe started during the 1300s by the French.
Commercial production began around 1800 in America.
The USA is the world’s largest producer of strawberries followed by Turkey, Spain, Egypt, Mexico and China.

Health Benefits
Not only are strawberries delicious but they are full of vitamin C and contain more Vitamin C weight for weight than oranges. Just seven medium sized strawberries provides your daily vitamin C intake.
Strawberries are also a good source of Folate (so good for pregnant women to eat), Potassium, Manganese and antioxidants.

Grow Your Own Strawberries
Strawberries are easy to grow and give quick results – see my post Grow Your Own Strawberries. They can be grown very successfully in containers as well as in the open ground. They prefer a sunny spot and need careful watering when the fruits are starting to grow. I always put lots of well rotted muck on my strawberries (most people prefer sugar and cream!) as they are hungry plants and need plenty of organic matter in the soil.

Culinary Facts
The tastiest strawberries are ones that have been freshly picked. If you don’t grow your own strawberries, why not have a go at Pick Your Own? There are strawberry farms dotted all over the country and it hardly takes any time to fill up a couple of punnets. Or, if you don’t feel like picking your own, the best strawberries will be freshly picked ones in greengrocers, local farm shops or farmer’s markets.
Strawberries, unlike some other fruit, don’t ripen any more once picked so it’s important to select firm red fruits with fresh green stems. Make sure there are no bruises on them.

Store strawberries in the fridge in an airtight container and only wash them just before eating as their thin skins absorb water easily which will make them start to go soft.

To prepare strawberries for eating, always wash the fruit with the hull still attached. Handle them as little as possible and let them come to room temperature before serving.

Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management states: “The fruit should always be gathered on the same day that it is required for the table, and should be tastefully arranged on the dishes, with leaves between and round it” and: “Fine strawberries, arranged in the manner shown in the engraving, (a pyramid of strawberries arranged in a tall dessert dish with a stem) look exceedingly well. The inferior ones should be placed at the bottom of the dish, and the others put in rows pyramidically, with the stalks downwards; so that when the whole is completed, nothing but the red part of the fruit is visible.”

Strawberries can be served in so many ways including fresh with sugar and cream, Eton Mess, strawberry Pavlova, shortcakes, sliced on top of a Victoria sponge cake sandwiched with fresh cream, tarts, pies, jams, jellies, scones, ice cream, fruit salad and in Pimm’s or other summery drinks.