For Wimbledon and beyond.. (Strawberries)

Member Name: anwar7

Product:	Strawberries
Date:	13/07/09 (100 review reads)
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For me, Strawberries and summer go together. I think they are by far the loveliest of all the summer fruits and I know I am not alone in my appreciation of these delicious heart shaped berries! Strawberries have been around since the ice age. The Romans cultivated Strawberries, believing that they had healing properties and could help cure depression, infections and fevers. During medieval times the strawberry was used as a symbol of purity, love and passion, no doubt due to its heart shape. Stonemasons of the time often carved strawberry designs in churches and these can still be seen to-day. Strawberry soup was sometimes served to a newly married couple as part of the wedding feast and a strawberry birth mark was considered a sign of royalty.

Centuries later in the court of Napoleon it is documented that a prominent figure used to bathe in strawberry juice, believing it would protect her from disease. Although I wouldn't suggest bathing in strawberry juice, eating strawberries is proven to give many health benefits.

Strawberries are rich in vitamin C as well as magnesium. In fact eating just 8 strawberries will give you as much vitamin C as eating an orange. Strawberries are a low calorie food too, unless of course you cover them in sugar! Eating lots of different fruits has now been proven to help protect us from cancer and heart disease.

Growing strawberries.
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Although strawberries are available in supermarkets all year, I would never consider buying anything other than British Strawberries. The flavour of strawberries imported is just not the same as home grown varieties. However best of all for taste has to be the strawberries you grow yourself. Strawberries are easy to grow and produce great results.

There are over 600 different varieties of strawberries, a figure I found surprising! However a trip to your local nursery will probably give you just a few varieties to chose from. I like to grow a variety called Flamenco. This variety is more disease resistant than many other varieties and has a long fruit producing season. Strawberry plants are not very expensive costing around £1-2 per plant.

Before you plant your strawberry plants you will need to decide where to put them. This may seem obvious, but it is important. Strawberries like to grow in well drained soil where they will get lots of sun. They also need to be protected from wind as they need insects to pollinate the plants and wind will keep insects away. I grow my strawberries in a slightly raised bed that gets full sun.

About a month before planting you will need to dig the soil well, removing any stones. I suggest you dig in lots of organic matter. I started of with about 12 strawberry plants. Each plant should produce around 10 oz of fruit and will spread to approximately 9 inches and grow to about 8 inches in height. I should also mention that you should avoid planting strawberries in the same bed as potatoes. peppers or tomatoes. This is because these plants can have a disease that is deadly to strawberry plants.

Strawberry plants can be planted in either late September of early April depending on the variety you have chosen. I planted in late April to avoid any danger of frost. Strawberries will need protecting from frost when they are newly planted. Once established they are pretty hardy and frost will do no harm unless they have fruit!

Strawberry plants need to be kept well watered but don't overdo it! White flowers appear in early spring and the plants should then be protected from any late frosts. As soon as the fruit starts to appear you will need to protect it from birds. I use a simple net with pegs. I also use straw from my local pet shop to lay around by plants to help stop the fruit from rotting. Any runners you see should be removed as leaving them will take strength from the parent plant. The fruit producing season will vary but I usually get fruit for around 6 weeks.

Strawberries can also be grown in containers. They will need to be kept well watered and grown in a sheltered spot in the same way as I have described above. Home grown strawberries really do taste and smell a million times better than any you will buy from a supermarket!

If you can't grow your own then I suggest you buy from a local farm or better still pick your own! Be aware that these strawberries may have been sprayed with a variety of chemicals so don't munch then until they have been well washed!

Using strawberries.
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I love to eat strawberries just as they are-no sugar or cream. Strawberries should be washed before the stalk is removed and they will need to be handled carefully to prevent bruising. Strawberries should be bought to room temperature before eating to give the best flavour. Strawberries can be added to cereal or yogurts at breakfast or made into a delicious smoothie. I like to make smoothies for my children. For a strawberry smoothie I use about 2 cups full of orange juice and a few god handfuls of strawberries. Then simply blitz the liquid in a blender. You can add a spoonful of yogurt if you want a thicker smoothie.

I often make a small plastic tub of fruit as part of my children's packed lunch. Sliced strawberries give colour and there sweet taste is a real hit! I sometimes ad sliced strawberries to a green salad and then dress with a little balsamic vinegar-try it really is delicious! One of my favourite puddings has to be Eton mess. It is easy to make and tastes wonderful. I like to make individual portions in a wine glass, to make enough for 4 people you will need-

4 meringues nests.

4 good handfuls of strawberries.

½ tub of either double cream or low fat fromage frais.

Crush up the meringues in a bowl .Blitz a handful of strawberries in a blender until you have a puree. Slice up the whole strawberries. Now layer the meringue, strawberry puree and cream or fromage frais into the glasses. I don't add any sugar but if you like your puddings sweet then you can do so! This is a great pudding to serve at barbeques.

I don't think strawberries freeze well as they tend to go mushy when they are defrosted. However you can make a puree and freeze that instead. Strawberries don't keep for long and really are best eaten fresh. If you are lucky enough to have a glut then you could always make jam. Remember that strawberries don't have a lot of pectin so you will need to ad lemon juice to ensure your jam sets.

I really recommend you have a go at growing your own strawberries, they are easy to grow and will more reward you well for your efforts! Failing that then try to buy from local farms where you know the strawberries will be local and fresh!

Summary: strawberries