Strawberries, now coming into season, have been around for centuries. Their rich and delicious history evolved from wild varieties to the 600 cultivated forms we know today that are available in various colors.
Through archaeological findings, strawberries were a part of the diet of early humans. By the late 1700s cultivation of garden strawberries including varieties imported from England was well-established in the United States. Today the average American consumes approximately 8 pounds of fresh strawberries per year. Nationally, specialized farms in California produce more than one half of the 1.8 billion pounds grown each year. Florida is a distant second.
Some interesting facts
Strawberries are a plant of the rose family. Strawberries are a fruit but sometimes called false fruit as their seeds (around 200) are on the outside unlike blueberries, raspberries, etc. They are among the first fruits to ripen in the spring. In addition to red, they can be white, pink, yellow and golden-...