Would you want to know the difference between strawberry and wild strawberry? My understanding is that strawberries belong to the genus Fragaria.
The cultivated cultivars we enjoy today are developed for many characteristics, including size, color, flavor, and resistance to pests and diseases.
Strawberries in the wild are grown just as nature intended. Though usually more petite, the leaves of the plants resemble those of the cultivated species.
The plants are perennial herbaceous plants that proliferate by stolons. With time, large carpets of notched leaves might appear.
April through May sees the production of white blossoms, followed by weeks for the fruits to mature.
The berries are half the size of a strawberry, yet they appear the same. Juicy and tasty, wild strawberries have a sweet-tart flavor.
On the other hand, strawberries are frequently more giant, less tasty, and have white inside. This is partially due to their breeding for size and durability at the expense of flavor.
In addition, berries are sometimes harvested and sold before they reach their full ripeness, which might cause them to turn red before the flavor fully develops.
But that’s not all; as you read on, I’ll enlighten you on further topics.
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Now, let’s get started.
Are Wild Strawberries Edible?
Wild strawberries are much smaller yet still quite delicious than stored strawberries. Since it grows near the ground, washing it before eating is advised.
It is easily identifiable because it has a snow-white flower in the spring.
These tiny, untamed fruits are delightful, but collecting them requires caution. Fecal run-off may taint fruits harvested downstream from cattle or other livestock husbandry operations.
Herbicides or road water pollution may be applied to areas by roadsides. Even in uncontaminated, peaceful places, carefully wash your produce.
The little fruits are great when eaten raw but also make excellent jams, jellies, or fruit wines.
As long as wild strawberries haven’t come into touch with any pollutants or pesticides, they are safe to eat.
What Are The Types Of Strawberries?
Strawberries are classified into two main categories: cultivars that yield fruit and those that do not.
Varieties that don’t yield fruit are harvested in May, July, and occasionally August.
Strawberries are typically produced in huge quantities by non-everbearing strawberry bushes.
Everbearing types: while being late variety, they persist from June until the first winter snap. They do, however, take a vacation in July and August.
Growing both kinds of sorts is good if you want to include strawberries in your food garden so that there is continuity.
A survey of the 600 types of strawberries would be complex! To assist you in deciding, we will concentrate on the most well-liked and well-maintained in our gardens.
A survey of the 600 types of strawberries would be complex! To assist you in deciding, we will concentrate on the most well-liked and well-maintained in our gardens.
Strawberries that never go bad
Strawberries from the Mara des Bois plant:
June through September is when Mara des Bois strawberries are produced. Its flavor is like wild strawberries, and its texture is delicate—a distinct taste due to a particularity.
The Cirafine strawberry plant results from a cross between the Mara des Bois and other strawberry varieties. It is sturdy and resilient. It tastes like Mara des Bois but has less fragrance and produces a good crop.
The strawberry plant known as Charlotte is a vigorous cultivar. Strawberries taste sweeter than Gariguette but less sour. The fruit preserves well since it is firm.
The strawberry plant known as Cijosée is a hardy cultivar. Its foliage is stunningly dark green. It works well with Cirafine and Charlotte.
The exceptional production of the Ostara strawberry plant sets it apart from other kinds. The fruit has a rounded form, a glossy appearance, delicate flesh, and superb flavor.
Strawberries that aren’t in bloom
The strawberry plant known as Gariguette is considered to be the queen of strawberries and is considered to be an early variety.
Harvesting begins at the start of June. Its sweet and tangy flavor is well renowned. Its meat is quite juicy.
The strawberry plant, known as cigarettes, is a highly early variety. It yields an excellent crop of sweet, tiny, and sensitive fruits. Small, juicy, and delicious fruits.
The Cigaline strawberry plant: This variety, like the Gariguette, grows in all types of soil and climates. Like Gariguette, the fruit has a sweet and tart taste.
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What Is The Difference Between A Wild Strawberry And A Regular Strawberry?
Strawberries cultivated in the wild are considered a species since they are not the result of cross-breeding; they are grown from the soil without human control.
These have a more robust and sweeter flavor, similar to the very first French variety;
nevertheless, they have a shorter shelf life once they have been plucked, which reduces their availability and makes them more precious.
Again, wild strawberries are significantly smaller than peas, and many times, they are even more significant.
They are edible and have a flavor comparable to that of conventional strawberries;
however, a considerable quantity is necessary to make a serving worth eating, and they are not typically produced in substantial amounts.
Which Strawberries Taste Like Wild Strawberries
Fragaria vesca, also called Woodland Strawberry or fraises des bois, and Fragaria chiloensis, sometimes called Beach Strawberry, Coast Strawberry, or Chilean Strawberry, are two varieties of wild strawberries.
Since wild strawberries are members of the Rose family, they are closely related to raspberries and blackberries.
The Anglo-Saxon term “Strawbridge,” which refers to how the plants spread their runners across the ground, is where the word “strawberry” originated.
In addition to being delicious, wild strawberries have several therapeutic applications.
Tonic and blood purifier: During the post-winter season, Native Americans made bitters from the roots of wild strawberries.
In the American Revolution, Minutemen used tea from wild strawberries’ young, green leaves to treat scurvy.
The perennial plant Duchesnea indica, sometimes referred to as the Indian strawberry or imitation strawberry, is a ground-hugging plant.
Spreads by runners to create colonies at ground level in damp lawns and forests. They were possibly mistaken for the local wild strawberry, which grows slowly and has delicious fruit with white petals.
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How To Recognize A Wild Strawberry
Wild strawberries are a type of fake fruit with a rounded form, slightly oval, and relatively tiny. They range in color from red to yellowish and contain many achenes, the seeds that make up the actual fruit.
However, it is essential to differentiate between the genuine wild strawberry and other types of strawberries, such as the green strawberry (Fragaria viridis), which produces acidic fruits, and the wild strawberry (Pentilla sterilize),
which is similar to the strawberry but does not yield fruit like the wild strawberry.
There is an invasive species known as the Indies, Duchesnea indica, whose fruits contain tasteless white meat.
- Members of the Rosaceae.
- Perennial
- Originating in places such as Europe, North America, and Asia
The blooms are white, the planting is done in the spring, the flowers bloom from April to July, the harvest is done in the summer, and the height may reach up to 20 centimeters.
How To Recognize A Good Strawberry
The fruit must have a glossy appearance, be of a uniform color, and have a collar and peduncle that are all incredibly green.
Likewise, its brilliant red hue is The primary indicator that a strawberry is ripe and tasty. Green caps on top are desirable, while brown or shriveled caps are less desirable.
Last but not least, here is a guide to picking strawberries:
1. It is recommended that the exterior have a deep ruby red hue, with a glossy surface and minimal degradation.
2. The stems should be lush and unwilted, with a vivid green color.
3. The skin of the berries should be smooth and wrinkle-free, and the shape should be firm to the touch.
4. The aroma should be flowery, delicious, and unmistakably representative of “strawberry.”
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Final Thought
Now that we have established the difference between strawberries and wild strawberries, While wild strawberries have a virtually flat surface with some roughness added by the seeds, regular strawberries have bumps.
Among the most apparent tells is this one.
Wild strawberries can be planted from seeds, though this is the first time I’ve seen them offered for sale in this manner.
Foraging is the most excellent option instead. You only need to seek plants to grow the more widely used F. ananassa. A stolon, a modified stem, is how the plants spread.
A parent plant uses a stolon, essentially a lifeline, to transport a young plant away from the parent.
Friends may share the tiny plantlets that grow at the end of each stolon with strawberries.
After the stolon is severed, these plants will readily root and become independent of their parents.