Raise your hands, if you actually wait for the strawberry season like me and being its true fan, you rely on canned strawberry products till then. This red juicy, yummy fruit is something to die for. The tiny cute thing holds a lot of health benefits in it that you might wonder. Small in size but provides big benefits, that a few of them might surprise you. Not only this, but its types are also a sweet treat, you can eat them all even the wild ones are sweet treat too. But can I eat wild strawberries?
Being a great source of vitamin C, potassium and other antioxidants, consumption of strawberries will increase immunity, strengthen the cornea and retina, prevents cancer, fights face wrinkles, and makes your skin healthy and young. The antioxidants and phytochemicals present in it reduces the joints inflammation, maintains a healthy weight and is so great source of fiber. Sweet in taste but diabetes patients can also eat it.
Wild Strawberry Vs. Strawberry
So many people know about the existence of wild strawberries, many have seen it too (thanks to the internet) but a few have experienced eating it even, it is not widely or commonly available like regular strawberries. Wild strawberries are usually very small and they have types too. Moreover, they are used in making fresh desserts, jellies, and jams.
Wild strawberries are so incredible in taste that if you get to eat it once, you will say, you have not eaten this much delicious, acidic, and sweet strawberry before. So magnified than supermarkets strawberries that then you will understand why Greeks call strawberry the goddess of Love, they must have eaten wild strawberries lot. Which is sweeter, wild strawberry vs. strawberry then wild strawberry will win; I have to experience it yet.
Even their plantation, cultivation, and soil differ, not all places which grow strawberries can grow wild strawberries too. If you are craving strawberries, either they are wild or not, make sure to pick the fresh ones from farmers as they have a short shelf life, and their sugar naturally start converting into starch, this is the reason when you buy it from the grocery store they taste a bit tart.
Where Do Wild Strawberries Grow?
Whoever tasted the fresh wild strawberry, forever cherish the taste. Wild strawberries do have varieties and species. They have around 46 species all around the world and 600 or more cultivated varieties, in which most are known as four-season strawberries. If you want to eat wild strawberries, looking for them from May to October is the best season.
So where do wild strawberries grow, these sweet in taste with strong aroma are harvested in Turkey and France more now as they prefer fairly cold and winter season, a place which is mostly shaded by trees or hedges. If you have wild strawberries seeds you can sow them in a box inside your vegetable garden too. Evenly spread those in the potting soil, once done, spray the soil with water regularly. Do not let the soil dry out; keep watering daily with patience because germination takes 3 weeks. When 3 to 4 leaves are out, place the pot outdoors under the trees, away from the direct sunlight. This is how they grow, suitable time is May, harvest them in June and enjoy your fresh wild strawberries at home.
If you live near forests, chances are, you can pick them from there and can cultivate them by yourself. Strawberry cultivation culture is growing popular in Canada, it grows quickly and so fresh that when the harvest time arrives, you know, you are going to enjoy a delicious taste.
Health Benefits Of Wild Strawberry
Wild strawberries being fragrant, smaller in size, up to 25 cm in height, these are very popular and have interesting nutritional properties. Health benefits of wild strawberry are just like the other strawberries as it helps in blood circulation and has a strong power to stimulate the nervous system. Whether it’s typhoid, oral inflammation, tonsillitis, or any, wild strawberries have the ability to treat them all.
Like all other fruits, wild strawberries also contain nutrients that are very beneficial for the body. They are especially rich in vitamin C and vitamin B9 and a complete source of manganese. Apart from that, this fruit has a high content of water, saturated fatty acid, protein, sugar, fiber, carbohydrate, and fat. They also have traces of calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, copper, and iodine. It prevents heart attacks, blood pressure, and lessens the risk of osteoporosis.
You can eat strawberries in as many ways as you won’t like, in jam, fruit salads, pancakes, cakes, pies, muffins, creams, custards, shakes, juices, ice creams, puddings, and much more. My favorite way to have strawberries is to drink its milkshake.
Conclusion
It’s good to ask yourself healthy questions like, can I eat wild strawberries because when you look for answers, you either learn a lot about its health benefits or ends up enjoying them. So what I leaned, better to eat fruits daily than consuming canned or junk food as they might taste yummy to you at first but eating canned food is of no use, also the added sugar in them makes them more acidic and they lack nutrients as well.
If you fully understand the health benefits that strawberries offer then I am sure, you are going to eat lots of it. So, when the strawberry season arrives, eat them for your skin, if not skin, eat them for balancing your bad cholesterol, again if not so, then consume strawberries to promote your eye health or for increasing the immunity, see? They have a lot of health benefits to offer, you just have to pick the right and fresh strawberry for you.
Eat them raw, or make dishes with strawberries, the point is, they are going to make you healthy and happy!
