Strawberries – Red Heralds of Summer

Summertime is berry time! And for most of them, the “queen of berries” is at the top of the shopping list. From a botanical point of view, strawberries do not belong to the berries at all, but are an aggregate fruit. On the red fruiting body, a false fruit in the botanical sense, sit the so-called nutlets.

Origin

Wild strawberries – the “little” siblings of today’s strawberries – were probably collected as early as the Stone Age. The garden strawberry most commonly available to us today is an accidental crossbreed of the small scarlet strawberry and the large-fruited Chilean strawberry from the 18th century. There are more than 1000 different varieties all over the world today, always adapted to the respective climatic conditions. The small, very aromatic wild strawberry can still be found and collected in the forests of Europe.

Season

Strawberries picked in Germany are sold in stores from May to the end of September. Since strawberries are now grown almost everywhere in the world, you can buy them all year round. Strawberries are also available almost all year round thanks to greenhouse and tunnel cultivation.

Taste

Ripe fruits taste wonderfully sweet and refreshing, the acidity is hardly noticeable. Unfortunately, the color of the strawberries says nothing about the ripeness and thus the taste of the fruit – because depending on the variety, the color of the ripe berries is more light or dark red. It is only important that the fruits are colored red throughout.

Use

The juicy red fruits go well with both sweet and savory dishes. They taste particularly good in sweet recipes in combination with dairy products – whether as ice cream, cake or just with a dollop of cream. Try our strawberry yoghurt cake, for example! The fruits are also delicious as a refreshing shake, which you can easily prepare with our strawberry dream recipe. In addition, strawberries are ideal for preserving jam and as a puree for pouring with sparkling wine. With our recipe for strawberry punch, you can also use the red fruits to conjure up a sparkling, refreshing summer drink. You can also enjoy them as a refreshing salsa with fried chicken fillet or in combination with green leaf lettuce as a light, fruity summer salad. Strawberry cake and more great recipes.

Storage

Since strawberries are very sensitive, you should eat them as soon as possible. Until then, keep the unwashed fruit in a cool place or in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. Important: sort out damaged strawberries beforehand, as they quickly become moldy and can “infect” the others.

Durability

At room temperature, it can be kept for a maximum of one day, and refrigerated for a maximum of two to three days.