This week, we have certified organic strawberries from Be Wise Ranch available. We also want to arm you with some fun strawberry facts so you can impress your friends and family with your strawberry knowledge!
Oh, momma! It’s organic strawberry time.
Have you ever met anyone who doesn’t like strawberries? We haven’t. Strawberries offer a flavor so universally delicious, that it’s hard to imagine not liking them.
Fun Strawberry Facts!
Here are some fun and interesting strawberry facts that you can use to impress your friends and family while you’re munching on your fresh, organically grown strawberries from Be Wise Ranch:
- Which country produces the most strawberries? The United States is the #1 producer and exporter of strawberries in the world. Americans grow and eat about $3 billion worth of strawberries every year, which also equates to about 3 billion pounds of fruit. Most of our exported strawberries go to Canada and Mexico.
- Which state produces the most strawberries? You’re living in it! California produces about 91% of the strawberries grown in the US, with most of the rest being grown in Florida.
- Why does California produce so many strawberries? Because our southern and coastal regions are the perfect environment for growing strawberries in multiple seasons, whereas most other states can only produce strawberries for one season. For example, a prime acre of strawberries in California can produce 66,500 pounds of fruit over a year, whereas an acre of strawberries in New York state will probably produce closer to 3,200 pounds (that’s 21x more strawberries per acre!).
Are you feeling like Pavlov’s dog yet? Don’t drool on your keyboard.
- Where do strawberries come from? Think of strawberries as a global collaboration perfected in France. The small-fruited wood strawberries (Fragaria vesca) and musk strawberries (Fragaria moschata) native to Europe were very popular throughout the continent as early as the 1300s. When European settlers came to the Americas, they encountered native people enjoying their own indigenous varieties of strawberries as well. Fragaria virginiana, a small-fruited but delicious strawberry native to the east coast of the US was brought back to Europe in the 1600s. Then, French explorers found a large-fruited strawberry variety in cultivation in Chile (Fragaria chiloensis) that they brought back to France – while this variety produced large fruit, it only grew well in very particular growing environments. The French accidentally hybridized the Chilean and American strawberry varieties, producing the large-fruited, delicious variety we enjoy today, named Fragaria ananassa! There have been many sub-varieties and cultivars developed since.
- How many pounds of strawberries does the average American eat? About 8 pounds, roughly double the amount we ate a few decades ago. Does that mean your children will eat 16 pounds of strawberries per year when they grow up? We hope so.
- Who was the genius who created strawberries and cream? You can thank England’s Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the famous and powerful Lord Chancellor to King Henry VIII. More accurately, you can thank one of his many unknown chefs who ultimately created the now-famous dish while serving guests in Wolsey’s riverside palace, Hampton Court.
- Are strawberries medicinal? Well, virtually any real, whole food (fruits, nuts, veggies, mushrooms, whole grains) can be considered medicinal. However, beyond strawberries being loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, there has been research showing strawberries exhibit specific medicinal benefits, such as reducing the likelihood of heart disease, strokes, and cancer, and lowering blood pressure. That’s some tasty medicine!
More medicine, please.
We hope you enjoyed these strawberry facts! If you’re not a Daily Harvest customer, make sure to sign up now to get some perfectly-ripened, local, organic strawberries from Be Wise Ranch delivered to you this week!
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Get your Daily Harvest Express order placed right now (or no later than Sunday evening at 5 pm) so you can enjoy another week of fresh, healthy food from local farmers!
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