To be a true berry, the seeds must be located inside the berry; the strawberry’s are outside which classifies it as an “accessory fruit.” In fact, the average strawberry has 200 seeds covering the outside. Seeds on the outside and a shade of red color are about the only thing different varieties of this fruit have in common.
Different Strawberries Species Created to Keep Up with Demand
Many different species of strawberry have been bred to keep up with people’s growing demand. One person consumes an average of 3.1 pounds of strawberries per year. To keep up with that kind of demand, there are approximately 700 strawberry growers in California producing fruit on over 20,000 acres annually.
The strawberry ripening season begins in January in the southern part of the state and moves north with the warming spring temperatures. Volume peaks in April and May when all production areas overlap. During this time, weekly volume can reach 9 million pounds a day. California produces 83% of the nation’s strawberries, providing almost a year-round supply. The winter period is covered by growers in Chile who take advantage of opposing growing seasons.
Grocery Store Strawberries Bred for Shipping, May Have Pesticides
Most types of strawberries sent to grocery stores are bred to have a longer shelf-life and must be able to endure long periods of shipping and rough handling. Because of this, these varieties are usually deep red, plump and sturdy, but are about half as sweet as wild strawberries.
Some strawberry lovers choose to grow their own or buy locally not only to get a sweeter strawberry, but also to avoid ingesting poisonous pesticides used by many Californian growers, particularly methyl bromide.
Methyl Bromide a Deadly Pesticide Used on Strawberries
Methyl bromide is a toxic pesticide that is injected into the soil before planting strawberries, grapes, almonds and other crops. It is also used to kill pests in stored commodities, agricultural shipments and in buildings. Because of its ability to cause neural damage and reproductive harm, the EPA classifies methyl bromide as a Toxicity Category I compound, the most deadly category.
According to the Pesticide Action Network North America, California is one of the largest methyl bromide using regions in the world. California strawberries are one of the largest single crop uses of methyl bromide in the US and in the world. In 1998, over 4 million pounds of methyl bromide were applied to California strawberry fields, accounting for 30% of the state’s total use of the pesticide.
Luckily, California has reduced methyl bromide use dramatically, with a 70% reduction in use between 1994 and 1998. Consumers can cut their exposure to the toxic pesticide by purchasing organic strawberries, which are pesticide free, or by growing their own.
Cultivating Strawberries
According to G.M. Darrow’s book The Strawberry: History, Breeding and Physiology, people have been growing their own strawberries since 1834, when the first true American fruit breeder, C.M. Hovey, made 6 controlled crosses of strawberry and created the ‘Hovey’ variety.
A second breeder made crosses over several decades and created the President Wilder variety in 1861. Breeders continued to experiment with different varieties and still today. Currently the most popular breed is a cross of the wild Virginia strawberry and a Chilean variety and is known as the pineapple or pine strawberry.
Strawberries: Easy to Grow
There are probably so many varieties because strawberries are so easy to grow. They are native to both northern and southern hemispheres and grow in every U.S. state, every Canadian province, all over Europe, and Australia and are even found in deserts. They can grow by the sea, in the woods, or atop mountains.
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