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|features=edible, fruit, ground cover
|features=edible, fruit, ground cover
|Temp Metric=°F
|Temp Metric=°F
|min_zone=1
|usda_ref=Sunset National Garden Book
|max_zone=12
|sunset_zones=all zones
|image=Strawberries picked.jpg
|image=Strawberries picked.jpg
|image_width=240
|image_width=240
|image_caption=Harvested strawberries
|image_caption=Harvested strawberries
}}
}}
'''''Fragaria''''' is a [[genus]] of [[flowering plant]]s in the [[rose]] family, [[Rosaceae]], commonly known as '''strawberries''' for their edible [[fruit]]s. Originally straw was used as a [[mulch]] in cultivating the plants, which may have led to its name.<ref>[http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/strawberry Wiktionary entry for "strawberry"]</ref> There are more than 20 described [[species]] and many [[Hybrid (biology)#Hybrid plants|hybrids]] and [[cultivar]]s. The most common strawberries grown commercially are cultivars of the [[Garden strawberry]] (''Fragaria ×ananassa''). Strawberries have a taste that varies by cultivar, and ranges from quite sweet to rather tart. Strawberries are an important commercial fruit crop, widely grown in all temperate regions of the world.
'''''Fragaria''''' is a [[genus]] of [[flowering plant]]s in the [[rose]] family, [[Rosaceae]], commonly known as '''strawberries''' for their edible [[fruit]]s. Originally straw was used as a [[mulch]] in cultivating the plants, which may have led to its name.<ref>[http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/strawberry Wiktionary entry for "strawberry"]</ref> There are more than 20 described [[species]] and many [[Hybrid (biology)#Hybrid plants|hybrids]] and [[cultivar]]s. The most common strawberries grown commercially are cultivars of the [[Garden strawberry]] (''Fragaria ×ananassa''). Strawberries have a taste that varies by cultivar, and ranges from quite sweet to rather tart. Strawberries are an important commercial fruit crop, widely grown in all temperate regions of the world.
Much smaller and more delicious than the ordinary supermarket varieties are Alpine Strawberries.
==Cultivation==
==Cultivation==
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{{edit-cult}}<!--- Type cultivation info below this line, then delete this entire line -->
===Harvest Quality===
Berries grown November to January may be extraordinarily flavorful, but productivity and taste often are harmed by rainstorms. Usually early April is the peak for fruit quantity/quality in Southern California, with cooler areas peaking later. By June most commercial growers in Southern California switch from selling fresh to selling to freezers, and then get totally out of the market. Producers for the farmers market keep selling fresh through the hot summer, though the strawberries ripen very fast and so are softer and have less taste. In addition to seasonal variation, the fruit quality also fluctuates with weather. Sun during the day, and cool nights produce the best fruit, while cloudy days and warm nights poorer fruit.[http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-marketwatch0409-20100410,0,1322192.story]
Another factor is when plants get overloaded with too much fruit, they cannot sweeten. In Orange County, California, berries can be delicious in February, then become watery in March when they are tired from fruit production. In April fruit quality can shoot up again as the plants recover and grow enough to catch up with the fruit production.[http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-marketwatch0409-20100410,0,1322192.story]
Due to all of these variables, fruit from the same plants (and growers) can vary a great deal from week to week, going from incredibly tasty to bland or sour.[http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-marketwatch0409-20100410,0,1322192.story]
As soon as a Strawberry is picked, it will stop ripening. It can get a little darker in color, and may lose acidity, but otherwise the flavor will remain the same. Therefore, you should pick strawberries as close to ripeness as possible. Some varieties are white, or lighter colors, so color is not always an indication of ripeness. At the markets, aroma is often, though not always a good indicator of fruit quality. If you can smell them as you walk past a stand, that's usually a very good sign. Size however does not have any relation to flavor. Some varieties are much larger, and some fruit much larger, but that does not bear any relation to whether the larger or smaller ones will taste better. Growers often prefer larger varieties because they are easier to harvest and pack.[http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-marketwatch0409-20100410,0,1322192.story]
===Propagation===
===Propagation===
===Pests and diseases===
===Pests and diseases===
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{{edit-pests}}<!--- Type pest/disease info below this line, then delete this entire line -->
==Varieties==
This is a simple list of named types and cultivars of strawberry, with some information about each. Following this section is a list of all Fragraria species.
*'''Galante''' - Deep orange-red when fully ripe, its most remarkable qualities are its texture, which is delicate and juicy, and its intense flavor, which has hints of melon. Bred by David Small of California Giant and introduced about six years ago, it has not succeeded as a commercial variety because the berries bruise easily and they rot quickly after rainstorms[http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-marketwatch-20100416,0,4470304.story]
*'''Garden Strawberry''' - (''F. ananassa'') originated in Europe in the 18th century from chance crosses of two wild species, the Virginian and Chilean, inheriting from the former hardiness, sharp flavor and redness[http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-marketwatch-20100416,0,4470304.story].
*'''Virginian strawberries''' - almost never cultivated for sale as fresh fruit, but one can enjoy their essence in the exquisite Tiptree Little Scarlet strawberry jam made by Wilkin & Sons in England, which is available at the Continental Shop in Santa Monica ($13.99 for 12 ounces) and from various mail-order sources. For home gardeners, Wellik sells two selections of Virginian.[http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-marketwatch-20100416,0,4470304.story]
*'''Pineberry''' - It was introduced by Hans De Jongh, a farmer in Etten-Leur, the Netherlands, whose family used to grow Little Scarlet, and who now specializes in ultra-high-quality heirloom strawberries, all raised in greenhouses. "Its flavor does not resemble pineapples in my opinion, but it's very juicy and aromatic," he says. "The smell is like perfume. Even if you have only a few strawberries, you can smell them in your whole room." He does not know the original name of this variety, which he obtained from an elderly French strawberry variety collector, but he believes that it dates back to the first generation of crosses between the Virginian and Chilean species in the 18th century. When he found the original plant it was small and sickly, so he used tissue culture, a laboratory method of propagation, to rid it of disease. When his marketer, VitalBerry (a major international berry company) first offered this oddity to sellers they demurred at the high prices, currently $5.40 for 4.4 ounces retail. "They said, ‘Oof, little soft strawberries, we don't like it,' " De Jongh remembers. But in time it caught on with chefs and high-end retailers, and now is sold in small quantities from London to Moscow.[http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-marketwatch-20100416,0,4470304.story]
*'''Strasberry''' - a variety with a flavor and aroma even better than that of Mara des Bois, being marketed as "strasberry which he believes may actually be an old German home garden favorite, Mieze Schindler.[http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-marketwatch-20100416,0,4470304.story]
*'''Chandler''' - patented in 1979, is a longtime favorite, juicy and tender. Commercial growers long ago moved on to firmer, higher yielding varieties, and Chandler is getting hard to find even at farmers markets.[http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-marketwatch0409-20100410,0,1322192.story]
*'''Seascape''' - (1991) has refreshing acidity and quite good flavor, but still lacks the complexity of the very best varieties. Still popular for local markets, it has not worked for California shippers because it turns dark and soft quickly.[http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-marketwatch0409-20100410,0,1322192.story]
*'''Camarosa''' - (1994), intended as a firmer, earlier-bearing successor to Chandler, represented a step down in eating quality, although it does not always deserve its negative repute in some quarters. It can in fact be reasonably aromatic; the real problem is its texture, which can be excessively firm, dry and crunchy. Camarosa still accounts for almost a quarter of the acreage in San Diego and Orange counties, but that's just 1% of plantings statewide.[http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-marketwatch0409-20100410,0,1322192.story]
*'''Gaviota''' - (1998) is relatively low in acidity, and so can taste sweeter than many other varieties; when well grown it has very good flavor, making it one of the best UC selections. Comparatively soft and low-yielding, it is not much grown commercially but common at farmers markets.[http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-marketwatch0409-20100410,0,1322192.story]
*'''Ventana''' - (2003), the successor to Camarosa, was selected because it produces more fruit early in the season, with fewer culls, both important economic considerations for southern growers; but it's lighter in color, and the flavor, alas, is mediocre. Forty-six percent of the acreage in San Diego and Orange counties, and 9% statewide.[http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-marketwatch0409-20100410,0,1322192.story]
*'''Albion''' - (2006) is a step up from its predecessor, '''Diamante'''. It's large, relatively dark, conical and firm, but not unduly so; at its best, it is pleasantly sweet and aromatic. Accounts for 49% of plantings in the Santa Maria district, and 34% statewide.[http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-marketwatch0409-20100410,0,1322192.story]
Alpine strawberries, also called "wild" strawberries or ''fraises des bois'', are a different species (''[[Fragaria vesca]]''), much smaller, softer and more aromatic than most varieties of the common garden strawberry (F. ananassa). A romantic allure accompanies them, but they're only at their best when fully developed and ripe; underripe fruits are sour, overripe ones are mushy, and tiny, scrawny specimens covered with seeds are bitter.[http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-marketwatch-20100416,0,4470304.story]
Their shelf life is the blink of an eye, and they're insanely laborious to pick, so just a few growers raise them, notably Pudwill Berry Farms of Nipomo and Jaime Farms of City of Industry, which mainly sell these fragile berries at Santa Monica Wednesday. Pudwill recently cut back their plants and won't have wild strawberries for another month or so; Jaime will have them through June or July, but in small quantities, which tend to be scooped up by purveyors for restaurants, so one must stop by as the market opens or reserve in advance. Really, the ideal approach is to grow one's own; Michael Wellik of the Strawberry Store in Delaware, an unparalleled resource, sells plants and seed of 20 varieties.[http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-marketwatch-20100416,0,4470304.story]
*'''Mara des Bois''' - introduced by the Marionnet nursery in France in 1991, contains high levels of methyl anthranilate, the volatile compound that perfumes fraises des bois. Small to medium in size and deep red, with soft, melting flesh, it has such an intense aroma when ripe that many people mistakenly suppose it to be a hybrid of wild and cultivated species. It's the standard of quality for strawberries at French markets, but the only source in Southern California is Chino Nojo, the chic, famously secretive farm north of San Diego (6123 Calzada Del Bosque, Rancho Santa Fe; [858] 756-3184; no website). Both Wellik and Nourse Farms sell the plants. [http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-marketwatch-20100416,0,4470304.story]
==Species==
==Species==
==References==
==References==
*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
*[http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-marketwatch0409-20100410,0,1322192.story LA Times: When and how to buy strawberries]
*[http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-marketwatch-20100416,0,4470304.story LA Times: A world of extraordinary flavors in specialty and exotic strawberries]
<!--- xxxxx *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381 -->
<!--- xxxxx *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381 -->
<!--- xxxxx *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432 -->
<!--- xxxxx *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432 -->