Back in Time
The strawberry's existence is centuries old. Excavations of Swiss lakes have revealed strawberry seeds and fossilized berries dating back to the Iron Age, and an Alpine strawberry variety celebrated for its intense, perfect flavor was first transplanted into a French garden in the late 13th century. Later, another species, the Hautboy, was introduced in England, and created a sensation.
When colonists arrived in the New World, they found fields carpeted with small, crimson strawberries. It was noted that in June, the berries grew so widely that horses' hooves seemed to be covered with blood.
Early explorers on America's Atlantic coast took samples of the Virginia strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) back to Europe, and with them the story of Chilean strawberries, even larger berries that grew on the western coast of the New World. In 1712, a French engineer named Frezier finally brought Chilean plants to France, where they were bred with the Virginia strawberry to produce the ancestor of today's strawberries. To this day, the French call a strawberry plant a fraisier.
The cross, in turn, produced the first American hybrid berry, called Hovey's Seedling, which in 1838 was deemed by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society to be the perfect strawberry.
The problem is that Americans want strawberries year-round; the cool coastal climate of California offers an 11-month-long solution. About 22,000 acres of California farmland produces approximately 80 percent of America's strawberries.
The American strawberry industry began in the early 1900s in California, where year-round sunshine and Pacific breezes provided the mild winters and moderate summers ideal for a long production season. Researchers at the University of California developed new varieties and agricultural techniques that helped the young industry prosper.
A Strawberry by Any Other Name...
In Roman times both Virgil and Ovid wrote of gathering fragra, the Old Latin name for strawberries and the root of its present generic name, Fragaria. Historians, however, debate the origin of the English word, strawberry. Some say the name evolved from the practice of stringing the berries on pieces of straw to carry them from the woods to the market.
Others believe the name is derived from the Old English streawberige, so called because the plant's runners stray in all directions. Strawberries are members of the rose family, low plants that spread by sending out runners straggling over the surface of the soil, and putting down roots here and there. From this we coin the term, "strawberry preachers," used during the Middle Ages for traveling country clergymen who returned to their own parishes only once a year.
Regardless of how they were named, the large luscious berries we know today are a product of relatively recent times. Until the discovery of the New World, Europeans knew only the tiny, wild, woodland berry, which the French call fraise des bois.
Strawberry Lore
Throughout history, strawberries have figured prominently in legend and lore, art and poetry. In the tradition of courtly love, strawberries were used as a decidedly flirtatious signal, meaning "you intoxicate me with delight" and "you are delicious." In art and literature, the strawberry was usually a symbol of sensuality and earthly desire. The fruit was regarded as an aphrodisiac of the highest quality, due to its prolific number of tiny "seeds." In fact, at wedding breakfasts in provincial France, newlyweds traditionally were served a soup of thinned sour cream, strawberries, borage and powdered sugar.
Medieval artists portrayed the Virgin Mary with strawberries symbolizing perfection and righteousness. During the same period, stonemasons carved strawberry designs on altars and around the capitals of pillars in churches and cathedrals. Perhaps it was this more reserved view of strawberries that gave them the meaning of "foresight" or "prudence" in the Victorian language of flowers.
The Choice and Care of Berries
To avoid damage in picking, and to ensure that the fruit appears in perfect condition when it gets to market, the fruit farmers gather their strawberries before they are perfectly ripe, even if they have to travel for only a matter of hours. As always, though, fruit ripened on the plant has incomparably the best flavor. In your own garden, you can custom pick each berry, just as it reaches its peak of sweetness and juiciness. In season, strawberries are best eaten in the patch—lush, juicy and warm from the sun. Failing this, buy the best varieties of local berries, in season. The peak supply from California comes in March through June.
Strawberries are very perishable and should be used as soon as possible after they are picked or purchased. Remove the plastic wrap or top from the basket and store berries in the refrigerator. Do not wash the berries until you are ready to use them. Clean them by gently dropping the berries into a basin of cold water or wipe them with a damp cloth to remove dust or grit. Hull berries after you have cleaned them, using a small blunt knife or the special strawberry hullers sold in some cookware shops. Freezing whole strawberries is not really satisfactory. It is preferable to halve, slice or puree them before freezing.
One 12-oz basket yields:
3-1/2C whole strawberries
2-1/4C sliced strawberries or
about 1-2/3C pureed strawberries
Nutritional Value
Just eight ripe berries supply 140% of U.S. RDA for Vitamin C, 20% of the U. S. RDA for folic acid and three grams of fiber. They contain a good amount of potassium and some iron. One cup contains about 55 calories.
Savoring Them
A natural complement to strawberries is cream in various forms, whether whipped into clouds, slightly soured (as in creme fraiche), clotted (as in Devonshire cream), enriched with egg into a custard, or a low-fat substitute such as yogurt. Also on the lighter side, a touch of wine—dry or sweet, still or bubbly, white, red, or fortified—goes uncommonly well. So does a spark of citrus juice or zest. The mellow acidity of a few drops of balsamic vinegar can do wonders for bland berries. Simply halve the berries, sprinkle a little sugar over them, then add a few drops of balsamic vinegar. This trick will coax every bit of flavor out of even the most reluctant berries.
Strawberries go sublimely with all other spring and summer fruits and are irresistible with most pastry, whether tart, puff or shortcake. Whole berries on stems are perfection, dipped in white or dark bittersweet chocolate.
2 pints fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
2 pints fresh raspberries
1 cup fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp. sugar (or more to taste)
1/3 cup Grand Marnier
grated zest of 1 orange, finely minced
2 cup cream
1/4 cup sugar
candied violets or fresh edible flowers
2 Tbsp. sliced almonds, lightly toasted
3 - 4 strawberries, sliced
mint leaves
Place the berries in a lovely glass bowl, sprinkle with sugar, add the orange juice, zest and Grand Marnier and let them macerate for 1/2 hour. Reserve 2 Tbsp. of the liquid for use in whipping the cream.
Whip the cream to soft peaks, add sugar and macerating liquid and beat to stiff peaks. Spread some of the cream over the berries in the serving dish. Decorate with the remaining cream, candied violets, sliced almonds, fresh strawberry slices and mint leaves.
MAKES: 8 servings
1-1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup red wine
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 stick cinnamon
1 quart fresh strawberries, hulled and pureed
1/2 cup cream*
1/4 cup sour cream
mint sprigs (garnish)
Combine the water, wine, sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon stick in a 3- or 4-quart saucepan and boil uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the strawberry puree and boil, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes more. Discard the cinnamon stick and let the soup cool.
Whip the cream, combine with the sour cream and fold into the strawberry mixture. Serve at room temperature, cool or cold, garnished with mint sprigs.
MAKES: 8 servings
*For the cream and sour cream mixture you can use 3/4 cup creme fraiche and whip it up like the cream.
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