Today our family visited one of our favorite garden centers, the Market at Delaware Valley College in Doylestown (http://themarketatdelval.com/). This weekend and next the Market is celebrating Strawberry Fest. In addition to pick-your-own strawberries there is a wagon ride, moon bounce, and crafts for the kids. Strawberry picking is a great activity to show children where the fruit comes from. The strawberries smell wonderful as you pick them right from the plant.
Strawberries are a marvelous fruit. They grow from the flower of the plant. The strawberry plant is a small plant that sends out shoots to create new plants. Strawberries can grow just about anywhere in the world and can be grown in the ground as well as pots. I have several plants in our garden that I planted last spring. Strawberries often ripen in June in our area.
Strawberries are packed full of essential nutrients. They are a great source of fiber, potassium, vitamin C, folate, and phytonutrients. Fiber is important in bowel health and heart health. High fiber diets have been shown to lower risk of heart disease and cancers of the colon. Potassium is a mineral that plays a key role in muscle contraction and control of blood pressure. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that ward off many chronic diseases. Just about 8 strawberries provides as much vitamin C as an orange. Folate is an important nutrient in preventing certain birth defects and has been shown to lower risk of heart disease. Finally strawberries are a good source of phytonutrients. What is a phytonutrient? Phytonutrients are non-nutritive substances found in foods, mainly plants, that provide a health benefit beyond what is provided by the nutrients found in the food. Strawberries contain a phenolic compound called flavonoids and ellagic acid, which have been shown to have antioxidant properties.
Strawberries are mainly consumed fresh, however they can be frozen, dried, or made into preserves. It is best to not wash strawberries until right before you plan to eat them. Washing too early will cause the berries to soften too soon. Strawberries are delicious additions to yogurts, cereal, salads, smoothies, and desserts.
1 cup of strawberries contains: 43 kcal, 10 gm CHO, 3.3 gm Fiber, 240 mg Potassium, 82 mg Vitamin C.
