Strawberries – April 2015

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Strawberries – The Deliciously Sweet Sign of Spring!

At Bella Viva, the intense, sweet, aroma of freshly picked strawberries fills the air. We are currently drying them so you can enjoy the wonderful, in-season, taste any time. Harvest has begun at the strawberry patch in Waterford, California, and the berries are dried within 24 hours just down the road at our facility in Denair. Our natural proprietary drying method ensures the fresh ripe taste is locked into each and every strawberry slice. After tasting them you may be surprised to learn that no sweeteners or preservatives are added. Absolutely nothing! So stick your nose in a bag and prepare to be blown away by the intense strawberry experience. We invite you to come down to our store or order online and enjoy the good life!

Humans have been enjoying wild strawberries for centuries; but did you know that the strawberry as we know it today was only developed a few hundred years ago? The ancient Romans loved strawberries; they even used the fruit to treat a variety of diseases from depression to kidney stones (University of Illinois). The area around Paris saw the first large-scale cultivation of the fruit in the 1600s (Gibson, UCLA). But the development of the modern strawberry didn’t start until a chance seeding in 1817 by Michael Keens in Isleworth, England. This variety was a hybrid of strawberries found in Europe, Chile and the eastern coast of North America (Welsh, National Vegetable Society).

Strawberries have existed throughout the world for centuries but there is still debate surrounding the name of the fruit. It may have originated from the Old English word, streabariye; which was first recorded by a Benedictine monk named Aelfric in 995 AD. He used the word to describe the fruit by how it spreads through “runners” (Welsh). Basically the mother plant spreads by cloning itself through the use of stolons; which develop roots where a node touches the ground (Gibson). Some etymologists also think the name may have developed from the use of straw in the cultivation of strawberries (Welsh).

Fun Facts About Strawberries!

  • Strawberries are one of the top 20 fruits in antioxidant capacity (Webmd).
  • See what the National Cancer Institute says about antioxidants and their function in neutralizing free radicals in the body; lowering the risk of cancer (NCI).
  • About eight strawberries provide more vitamin C than an orange (Webmd).
  • The National Institute of Health suggests that anthocyanins in berries lower the risk of heart disease (NIH).
  • California produces 80% of America’s strawberries (NPR).
  • “In Othello, Shakespeare decorated Desdemonda’s handkerchief with symbolic strawberries” (University of Illinois).
  • The modern strawberry was developed in 1817 (Welsh, NVS).

Matthew Muller
Bella Viva Copywriter

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