Fun Facts
There are an average of 200 tiny seeds in every strawberry.

If all the strawberries produced in just California this year were laid berry to berry, they'd wrap around the world 15 times.

According to Funk and Wagnall, "The fruit is an aggregate of numerous nutlets distributed on an enlarged, pulpy, scarlet receptacle." In other words, strawberries are not really berries or fruit, but are instead the enlarged ends of the plant's stamen. It is the small black spots which are actually the fruit.

Selection and Storage
Strawberries do not ripen after picking. Therefore, you should select berries that are already bright red, and free of blemishes. Choose berries with bright green stems and end caps for the freshest berries.

Fresh berries can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, but spoil quickly thereafter. Do not remove the end cap before storing, or the berries will lose some of their moisture.

Strawberries can be frozen, but will become soft. To freeze berries, you should first make a syrup of equal parts of sugar and water. Cook this over medium heat until clear, then cool thoroughly. Mix a small amount of syrup with the freshly trimmed berries, just to coat. Place in freezer containers and freeze.

Varieties
June-bearing strawberries bear their fruit in June, then do not fruit again until next year. Varieties include Earliglow, Surecrop, and jumbo sized Guardian berries.

Ever-bearing strawberries don't really bear all the time, but produce two crops, one in early summer and one in late summer. Varieties include Ozark Beauty and Superfection.

Day-neutral strawberries are a relatively new development. Since they are less sensitive to the difference in long and short days, they bear most of the summer. Varieties include Tristar and Tribute.

Alpine strawberries are tiny elongated berries similar to wild strawberries. They come in red or white, and are very sweet. They bear all season and are fairly easy to grow.

History
Stawberries have been a favorite and important fruit for many centuries. In medieval times strawberries were carved on pillars that surrounded churches to symbolize perfection and righteousness. Strawberries were often mentioned in early literature, including that of Shakespeare.

Strawberries were cultivated as early as the 1300's, but mainly for their flowers, not their fruits. Strawberry hybridization began in the 1800's and strawberries became an important cash crop.