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Making your life greener - one bite at a time.

Strawberries are one of the best of the berries. The delicate heart-shaped berry has always connoted purity, passion and healing. It has been used in stories, literature and paintings through the ages.

Tips for Growing Organic Strawberries

Fresh, strawberries, especially when they are organically grown, are one of life’s simple pleasures, would have to be just heaven from your own garden / pot.

Plant a few different varieties of strawberries (which crop at different times of the year) to enable harvesting from late spring to early autumn.

For best results, you need at least 12 plants of each variety so the number of varieties you grow will depend on how much space you have.

Strawberry plants only remain healthy and productive for 3 years so you need to plant new plants in a new location after that time.

The best way to get new strawberry plants is to propagate your own from your healthiest plants (disease free and pest resistant) by planting the runners in pots.

Strawberries need full sun to grow well and to ripen the fruit. The sunnier the position, the sweeter the fruit.

Give strawberry plants plenty of space to grow.

Strawberries need a very rich soil with plenty of organic matter. Add well rotted animal manure and blood and bone before planting.

Fertilise growing strawberry plants with the liquid from your worm compost or with seaweed based liquid fertiliser.

How to Prevent Diseases in Strawberries

Choose disease free plants or runners.
Plant where strawberries (or raspberries) have not been grown during the previous 6 years to avoid soil based diseases.
Don’t overcrowd the plants. Plant in rows around 75cm apart.
Place straw around the base of the plants to keep the leaves and fruit off the ground and therefore clean and dry.
Remove any diseased leaves and fruit immediately.

How to Control Pests in Strawberries

Cover strawberries with a net or cage to prevent birds from eating the fruit.
Hand pick slugs off plants.
Encourage natural slug predators such as frogs and centipedes.
Provide alternative food for slugs by using companion plants such as French Marigolds and lettuce.
Use organic pest control methods to get rid of aphids if they are a problem.
Place a cloche over green fruit to protect them from pests.

USA - Organic strawberry plants are available shipped directly to your door... USDA Certified Organic Herbs and perennials.
www.mountainvalleygrowers.com

UK - We use Foundation grade parent plants to multiply up our own stocks to ensure that we have complete control from the earliest stage in the production cycle. Being grown at altitude and having unique isolation we can supply top quality, fresh dug plants from late October until early May. All plants have been PHPS inspected this year and are sold as certified ‘Elite’ or 'A Grade' stocks.
http://www.welshfruitstocks.co.uk/acatalog/Soft_Fruit_Plants.html

We offer you Australia's largest range of tried and tested garden worthy mail order plants, bulbs and perennials.
http://www.tesselaar.net.au/

Medicinal Uses

The strawberry, a member of the rose family, is unique in that it is the only fruit with seeds on the outside rather than the inside. Many medicinal uses were claimed for the wild strawberry, its leaves and root.

The ancient Romans believed that the berries alleviated symptoms of melancholy, fainting, all inflammations, fevers, throat infections, kidney stones, halitosis, attacks of gout, and diseases of the blood, liver and spleen.

Strawberries contain a natural substance called ellagic acid, which is an anti-carcinogenic (cancer-preventing) compound.

Storage

Whole berries may be stored 2-3 days in the refrigerator. Cover the berries loosely. Do not hull or wash whole berries before storing. Strawberries may be washed, sliced and stored in a tightly covered container for sauces.

Extend your enjoyment by freezing strawberries for the off season and to add to smoothies and put through your food processor / champion juicer for a beautiful natural fruit ice cream.

Strawberries may be frozen as whole berries or sliced. to freeze whole, wash and hull the berries. Remove any soft spots. Frozen berries will last up to one year.

Preparation

Although long prized as a dessert fruit, strawberries are delicious in  salads, smoothies, compote, fruit kebabs, jelly, jams, soup, cocktails, flans,
coulis, sauces, salsa, tabouli (in place of tomatoes), crepes and breads.

Wash and dry strawberries. Since strawberries hold a lot of moisture, excess water from the washing can impact your recipes. For best results, let the berries drain on an absorbent towel for a couple of minutes. Hulling the berries after washing will prevent the berry cavity from filling with water.

Starwberry and Lychee Puree and Dip

Amount: 1 part strawberry, 2 parts lychee

Preparation: For infants, purée the strawberries and strain them through a fine strainer to remove the seeds. Purée the lychees and mix them with the strawberry purée. For toddlers, keep fruits whole and allow the beautiful colours, shapes and textures to educate and tantilize your little one.
Serving: Infants: You may serve a portion of the purée immediately and freeze the rest in ice cube trays for future meals. (Parent Tip: make an extra tray of the purée because the cubes added to vodka, a dash of triple-sec and a sprig of mint make exquisit martinis for date-night!)

Organic Lychees, picked ripe, their soft and smooth texture is ideal for infants & toddlers. They have an almost floral fragrance, are incredibly sweet, highly nutritious and there is no substitute for them among the typical Western fruit favourites.

"Organic strawberries - make a great dipper with a fruit dip (blend pineapple + bananas in food processor / blender and serve surrounded by fresh organic strawberries.

For real pleasure - dip organic strawberries in melted organic chocolate.

Add frozen starwberries to frozen banana and coconut - put through champion juicer for a beautiful natural ice cream.

Strawberry Fruit Salad

Prep time: 20 minutes plus chilling, Cook time: 10 minutes. Serves 12

2 large lemons
1 vanilla bean
1/2 c. water
3/4 c. rapadura sugar
3 ripe mangos, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pint blueberries
2 pints strawberries, hulled and cut in half, or into quarters if larger
1 medium honeydew melon, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

With a vegetable peeler or paring knife, remove a 1-inch-wide continuous strip of peel from one lemon, then squeeze juice from both lemons, about 1/4 cup juice. Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise in half and scrape the seeds. In a 1-quart saucepan, combine lemon peel, vanilla bean seeds and pods, water and rapadura sugar; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium and cook until syrup has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Pour syrup mixture through sieve into small bowl; stir in lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate syrup until chilled, about 2 hours. Place mangoes, strawberries, blueberries, and melon in large bowl; add syrup and toss.

Enjoy!