Ask a Dietitian

As seen on BCTV Noon News

STRAWBERRIES – THE SWEETEST ROSE

The strawberry has been used in stories, literature and paintings for centuries. In the Shakespearian play Othello, Desdemonda decorated her handkerchief with symbolic strawberries. A prominent figure at the court of the Emperor Napoleon named Madame Tallien, was famous for bathing in the juice of fresh strawberries. In fact she used 22 pounds per basin in which she bathed! The strawberry has also been a symbol for Venus, the Goddess of Love, because of its heart shape and red colour.

The strawberry is in fact a member of the rose family and is a unique fruit due to the seeds being on the outside rather than on the inside. In ancient times the Romans believed that the berries could alleviate symptoms of melancholy, fainting, inflammation, fever, kidney stones, gout and diseases of the blood, liver and spleen. Ripe strawberries are very high in vitamin C, ranking higher than citrus fruit per ounce.

Strawberries can be used in a variety of ways including savoury and sweet salads, shakes, muffins, cobblers or simply dipped in French Vanilla yogurt or chocolate.

Varieties

There are three main types of strawberries that are cultivated; June bearing or Spring bearing, Everbearing and Day neutral.  The June bearing strawberries produce fruit for several weeks in June from buds formed the previous August which remain dormant until the following spring when they produce flowers in May and June. Four to six weeks after flowering the fruit ripens and the season lasts about three to four weeks. June bearing is a common variety in BC and is the largest of the three varieties.  Everbearing strawberries produce flowers and fruit during spring, summer and fall. Their fruit production is highly dependent on the length of daylight hours at those times of the year. Day neutral varieties produce fruit throughout the entire growing season. Both the Everbearing and Day neutral strawberries are great for gardeners with limited space as they can be grown in terraced beds, barrels or pyramids. 

Selecting Strawberries

When selecting your strawberries look for bright red berries with fresh green caps. Try to avoid removing the caps until you are ready to eat them as tearing the berry’s cells causes the activation of ascorbic acid oxidase, an enzyme that destroys Vitamin C. If you are buying them in a package, visually check for any signs of mold growth. Even if one berry is moldy, the mold spores can travel throughout the entire package. Research has found that some forms of cancer have been linked to mold.

Pesticide Use  

Pesticides are essentially a group of chemicals that are designed to control weeds, diseases, insects, fungi or other pests on crops, landscape or animals. The pesticides that are most commonly used are insecticides (to control insects), fungicides (to control fungi) and herbicides (to control weeds). While some pesticides are stomach poisons, meaning the pest has to eat it to be affected, others act on contact, meaning that the pest will die if it comes into contact with the pesticide. The length of time that the pesticide remains active against pests after it is applied, is known as its residual effect. While some pesticides remain active for days or weeks, others, such as soap or oil sprays, act only on pests hit by the spray but will have no residual activity when the spray has dried. 

Strawberries can be effected by a number of pests including the Strawberry Root Weevil, Otiorlynchus ovatus (Linnaeus), the Strawberry Sap Beetle, the Strawberry Rootworm and the Strawberry Crown Borer. BC is a leader in the development of alternative methods for pest control including Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach. BC is currently developing these methods for use on strawberry crops. IPM programs utilize a decision-making approach to managing pests, which starts with the correct identification of the pests involved. After the identification of the specific pests involved, treatments are applied according to the need in contrast to the regularly scheduled applications or “calendar” sprays, which can lead to higher levels of pesticide use on crops. IPM treatments can involve one or more types that are combined in an IPM program to provide the desired level of control and to prevent future pest problems.

However, it is important to always wash your strawberries thoroughly before consumption to try to eliminate the amount of pesticide residues consumed.  Try washing them in a sink full of water with 1 cup of vinegar or dish soap.

Handling and Storage

Ideally strawberries should be used as soon after harvesting or purchasing as possible. A browning effect can occur in strawberries in warm temperatures as the fabulous red pigments, anthocyanin, that are produced by the strawberries are heat sensitive. The browning effect can also reduce the activity of Vitamin C, also heat sensitive. The berries should be stored unwashed and loosely covered with plastic wrap in the coldest part of your refrigerator for two or three days at most. Do not wash the berries until you are ready to use them as the moisture can increase the risk of mold during storage.

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