"Fruit" of the Month
Strawberries
The garden strawberry was first bred in Brittany, France, in the 1750s via a cross of Fragaria virginiana from eastern North America and Fragaria chiloensis, which was brought from Chile by Amédée-François Frézier in 1714. The strawberry is not, from a botanical point of view, a berry. Technically, it is an aggregate accessory fruit, meaning that the fleshy part is derived not from the plant's ovaries but from the receptacle that holds the ovaries. Each apparent "seed" (achene) on the outside of the fruit is actually one of the ovaries of the flower, with a seed inside it.
In 2016, world production of strawberries was 9.2 million tons, led by China with 41% of the total. California produces an amazing one billion pounds of strawberries each year. Each acre of land in California in strawberry production produces an average of 21 tons of strawberries annually. 23,000 acres of strawberries are planted in California each year.
One serving of strawberries contains approximately 33 calories, is an excellent source of vitamin C, a good source of manganese, and provides several other vitamins and dietary minerals in lesser amounts - and they are in season now!!!
The garden strawberry was first bred in Brittany, France, in the 1750s via a cross of Fragaria virginiana from eastern North America and Fragaria chiloensis, which was brought from Chile by Amédée-François Frézier in 1714. The strawberry is not, from a botanical point of view, a berry. Technically, it is an aggregate accessory fruit, meaning that the fleshy part is derived not from the plant's ovaries but from the receptacle that holds the ovaries. Each apparent "seed" (achene) on the outside of the fruit is actually one of the ovaries of the flower, with a seed inside it.
In 2016, world production of strawberries was 9.2 million tons, led by China with 41% of the total. California produces an amazing one billion pounds of strawberries each year. Each acre of land in California in strawberry production produces an average of 21 tons of strawberries annually. 23,000 acres of strawberries are planted in California each year.
One serving of strawberries contains approximately 33 calories, is an excellent source of vitamin C, a good source of manganese, and provides several other vitamins and dietary minerals in lesser amounts - and they are in season now!!!
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Strawberry Salad with Avocado
c/o Recipe Tin Eats. Serves 8-10 Ingredients Salad: -6 oz baby spinach -1 red onion (small), halved and finely sliced -12 oz ripe strawberries, sliced -2 avocados, quartered and sliced -4 oz feta, crumbled Candied Pecans: -1 T butter, unsalted -3 T white sugar -1 C pecans, roughly chopped Poppyseed Dressing: -1 T shallots, very finely chopped -2.5 T white wine vinegar -5 T olive oil -1.5 T mayonnaise -1 T white sugar Instructions Salad Dressing: -Place Dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well. Set aside for 10 minutes+ (keeps for a week). Candied Pecans: -Place butter and sugar in non-stick skillet over medium high. When butter is melted, add nuts. -Stir 5 minutes - sugar will go sandy, then eventually melt into a caramel. -Once sugar melts, cook or 2 minutes then spread pecans out on tray. -Cool then break to separate. Assemble Salad: -Place spinach and onion in a bowl, drizzle with about 3 T dressing, toss. -Transfer 1/3 spinach in a bowl. Scatter over 1/3 of each strawberries, avocado, feta, pecans. Drizzle with a bit of dressing. -Top with another 1/3 spinach, strawberries, avocado, feta, pecans, then a bit more Dressing. Repeat once more. -Serve immediately! |
