History & Origins
Strawberries have been growing wild for millions of years, even before humans started farming them!
Strawberries - Facts for Kids
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Facts About Strawberries For Kids
The ancient Romans believed strawberries could help with fever, sore throats, bad breath, and other ailments like inflammation.
Native Americans sometimes mashed wild strawberries and mixed them with cornmeal to make a sweet bread or cake.
In 1534, French explorer Jacques Cartier spotted wild strawberries growing in Canada, and people said they were sweeter than the ones in Europe!
The garden strawberry we eat today was accidentally created in France in the 1750s when two American wild strawberry types mixed together!
The word “strawberry” comes from Old English streawberige, which combines streaw (“straw” or “to strew”) and berige (“berry”). Some people think it refers to farmers using straw to protect the fruit, while others believe it refers to the way the plants spread out and look like the berries are strewn around the ground.
Legend says if two people share a double strawberry (a strawberry with two lobes) by splitting it and each eating a half, they might fall in love.
Science & Making
Strawberries aren’t actually berries at all — they’re part of the rose family!
The red juicy part of a strawberry isn’t the fruit — it’s actually the swollen stem, and the tiny seeds on the outside are the real fruits!
Most strawberries have about 200 little dots on them. Each dot is not just a seed — it’s a tiny fruit (called an achene) with a seed inside!
Strawberry plants can live up to 5–6 years, but they usually make the most berries in their first 3–4 years.
A single strawberry plant can grow about 40–70 strawberries in one season!
Once you pick a strawberry, it doesn’t get any sweeter — it won’t ripen more. So the best way to get a yummy berry is to pick it when it’s fully red and ripe!
When strawberries are growing, they need both bees and sunshine to become big and sweet.
Strawberry plants can clone themselves by sending out special stems called “runners” that grow new plants!
Strawberry flowers usually have five petals, but sometimes certain kinds grow extra petals — so they can show six, seven, or even more!
Ingredients & Nutrition
One cup of strawberries (about eight medium strawberries) usually has more vitamin C than a whole orange — but the sizes of the berries and the orange can make a difference!
Strawberries are over 90% water, which is one reason they’re such a cool, juicy snack when it’s warm outside!
One cup of strawberries has about 45–50 calories and gives a little more than 100% of what most adults need in vitamin C for a whole day!
Strawberries contain a special antioxidant called anthocyanin that gives them their red color.
Fresh strawberries are about 92% water, around 7–8% carbohydrates, about 0.7–1% protein, and very little fat (less than half a percent)!
The fiber in strawberries can help you feel full and satisfied after eating them.
Strawberries are super rich in vitamin C — but some berries like black currants and cloudberries have even more!
Strawberries that are deeper red usually have more antioxidants, but ripeness and variety also matter!
Global Varieties
There are more than 600 different varieties of strawberries in the world!
In Japan, farmers grow square watermelons using special molds, and some strawberry varieties look naturally heart-shaped!
Pineberries are white strawberries that taste a bit like pineapple. They came from South America but are now grown in many countries!
Alpine strawberries are very tiny, super sweet wild strawberries (Fragaria vesca) that grow in Europe (especially in woodland and mountain areas).
There’s a strawberry museum in Belgium called “Musée de la Fraise”!
California grow about 85-90% of the fresh strawberries eaten in the U.S.
Korean strawberries are known for being very sweet, sometimes extra large (especially in certain varieties), and are loved for their juicy texture!
At Wimbledon in England, people enjoy strawberries and cream as part of a long-standing tradition. It’s believed to have started back in 1877, when the tournament began!
Florida grows strawberries in winter when it’s too cold in other parts of America.
In Japan, strawberry picking is a popular family activity called “ichigo gari.”
Fun Food Facts
The heaviest strawberry ever weighed about 10.2 ounces (289 grams) — way more than a hamster!
Strawberries are often one of the first fruits to ripen in spring — but which fruit comes first depends on where you live, what the weather is like, and what kinds of fruit plants you have around.
Strawberries, apples, and roses are cousins — they all belong to the same plant family called Rosaceae, the rose family.
The biggest strawberry shortcake ever made weighed 21,213 pounds — that’s more than ten cars!
Growing & Gardening
Strawberry plants can grow from seeds, but farmers usually use runners instead because they’re faster, more reliable, and the new plants are just like the parent.
Strawberries need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day to grow tasty fruit — even better if they get 8–10 hours!
You can grow strawberries in hanging baskets and they’ll dangle down like grape vines!
Strawberry plants make new baby plants by sending out long stems called runners.
Birds love strawberries too — farmers use special nets to protect their crops!
If a strawberry smells super sweet, it’s often sweeter, but it’s not a guarantee — sugar, sourness, ripeness, and the kind of strawberry also matter!
Modern & Popular Culture
Strawberry ice cream is said to have been served in 1813 at President Madison’s second inauguration — one of the earliest recorded servings in the U.S.!
The garden strawberry we eat today was first created in France in the mid-1700s by combining two wild strawberries from America and Chile.
In Sweden, strawberries are a traditional part of Midsummer celebrations.
Strawberry Field in Liverpool, England, inspired the famous Beatles song “Strawberry Fields Forever.”
Storage & Preparation
To keep strawberries fresh, store them in the fridge until you eat them. But for the yummiest flavor, let them warm up to room temperature before you eat them so their sweetness and smell pop!
Strawberries stay freshest when you keep them in the fridge dry and unwashed. Wash them only what you want to eat right away — if they get wet too soon, they can spoil faster!
