STRAWBERRY; STRAWBERRIES
The average strawberry has about 200 seeds. Strawberry seeds are all those little bumpy spots on the surface of the berry.
More than 40 species of strawberries have been identified in the wild. Wild strawberries are all fairly small in size, and it wasn't until the 18th century that attempts to produce strawberry plants with larger berries were successful.
Fresh strawberries were once used as a toothpaste, as the juice cleaned discolored teeth.
Alaska Strawberries: A 19th century American euphemism for 'dried beans'.
The strawberry "is the wonder of all the Fruits growing naturally in those parts...In some parts where the Natives have planted, I have many times seen as many as would fill a good ship, within a few miles compasse."
Roger Williams, founder of Providence in 1636 in his ‘Key into the Language of America’
Strawberry Point, Iowa is home to the 'World's Largest Strawberry,' which sits atop city hall.
The most valuable fruit crops in the United States are in order, grapes, apples, oranges and strawberries (2000).
There is a centuries old custom that if you break a double strawberry in half and share it with someone else, they will fall in love.
Strawberries were once avoided by pregnant women because it was believed that their children would be born with strawberry birth marks.
The U.S. is the leading producer of strawberries, and supplies about 20% of the world's strawberries. California grows about 75% of U.S. strawberries.
(USDA 2004)
At the two-day California Strawberry Festival in Oxnard, you can sample strawberries prepared in all sorts of ways. In addition to traditional treats such as strawberry shortcake, strawberry jam, strawberry tarts and strawberries dipped in chocolate, there is strawberry pizza! This dessert pizza is topped with strawberries, sour cream, cream cheese and whipped cream on a sweet bread baked like a pizza. Strawberry kabobs dipped in powdered sugar are another delicacy. And drinks such as a strawberry smoothie can wash it all down.
Strawberries are big business in Oxnard. The annual strawberry revenues are $100 million from Oxnard's bountiful 6,600 berry acres. Twenty-four companies harvest and cool nearly 16 million trays of berries, which are shipped throughout North America as well as to Germany and Japan.
Library of Congress Local Legacies Project
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