All In Good Taste / June 2006
The Merry Berry
Strawberries, are a healthy indulgence. Sweet, juicy and crimson, strawberries are a natural superfood, packed with vitamins, essential vitamins, fiber, potassium and phytochemicals. Researchers continue to find important health advantages to eating strawberries. One serving, about eight medium strawberries, has only 45 calories and as much vitamin C as an orange. A serving of strawberries provides almost ten percent of the recommended daily potassium intake. Strawberries have less sugar than many other fruits and are associated with improving memory and reducing the risk of heart disease and some cancers.
Like other berries, strawberries are a rich source of phenols, which provide their deep color and serve as potent antioxidants, shown to help protect cell structures in the body and prevent oxygen damage in all body organ systems. Strawberries’ unique phenol content makes them a heart-protective fruit, an anti-cancer fruit, and an anti-inflammatory fruit, all rolled into one. In animal studies, researchers have found that strawberries help protect the brain from oxidative stress and may reduce the effects of age-related related declines in brain function. Researchers found that feeding aging rats strawberry-rich diets significantly improved both their learning capacity and motor skills.
Often linked with romance, strawberries are associated with Venus, the goddess of love. Medieval stonemasons carved strawberry designs on altars and the tops of pillars in churches and cathedrals to symbolize perfection and righteousness. Strawberries were served at important state occasions and festivals to ensure peace and prosperity.
Although strawberries have grown wild for centuries, it wasn’t until the 18th century that they developed into the luscious fruit appreciated today. In 1714, a French engineer sent to Chile and Peru to monitor Spanish activities “discovered” a native strawberry that was much larger than those grown in Europe. The samples he brought back to France, were subsequently planted but only began to thive after a natural crossbreeding with a neighboring North American strawberry variety planted nearby. The hybrid strawberry was large, juicy and sweet, and quickly grew in popularity in Europe.
Like other perishable fruits, strawberries remained a luxury item until the mid-19th century when railways and more rapid means of transportation allowed them to be shipped longer distances. The United States, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Australia and New Zealand are the largest commercial producers of strawberries. California is the largest American producer, supplying 88 percent of the strawberries grown in the United States. About 30,000 acres in the state produce over one billion pounds of fresh and frozen strawberries.
There are more than 600 varieties of strawberries, all differing in flavor, size and texture. Each strawberry has about 200 seeds. Although available year-round, strawberries are at the peak of their season and their flavor from April through July when they are the most abundant.
Despite agricultural technology, most strawberries are still picked, sorted and packed by hand in the field. Trays of strawberries are rushed to shipping facilities where they are cooled and within 24 hours of harvest, loaded on refrigerated trucks for delivery to local supermarkets across the country.
Once picked, strawberries do not ripen further. The best berries will be firm, plump and have a shiny, deep red color and attached green cap. Arranged and frozen in a single layer and then stored in a heavy plastic bag, strawberries will keep up to one year. Adding a bit of lemon juice to the berries will help preserve their color.
Strawberries and cream or layered with yogurt and blueberries make a beautifully refreshing treat. Chopped strawberries with cinnamon, lemon juice and maple syrup serve as a topping for waffles and pancakes. Adding sliced strawberries to a mixed green salad adds a burst of flavor and color. But, in the perfect pairing of elegance and flavor, strawberries dipped in chocolate are a universal favorite. PL
Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries
2 pint baskets fresh strawberries
1/2 cup each: semisweet, milk and white
chocolate chips
Finely chopped toasted almonds or
pistachios (optional)
Line a large baking sheet with waxed paper. Rinse strawberries and pat dry with paper towels. In separate small, microwave-safe bowls melt chocolates, one at a time, in microwave at 50-percent (medium) power, allowing 1 1/2 to 2 minutes each. Stir until smooth. Holding strawberry by stem end, dip into chocolate to cover about three-fourths of berry; dip into nuts, if desired, and lay on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining strawberries, chocolate and nuts. Refrigerate until chocolate is set. Makes about 8 servings (3 strawberries per serving)
For double and triple dipped strawberries, after the first coating of chocolate is set, dip into contrasting chocolate, leaving part of the first chocolate exposed. Repeat with third chocolate, if desired, allowing each layer to set between dips.
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