How to Select & Store Strawberries

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Deliciously Sweet Strawberries!

Spring is here! Strawberries are a deliciously sweet fruit that is often eaten during this time of year. Did you know that strawberries are actually the first fruit to ripen in the spring?

Here are some interesting facts about strawberries. Strawberries are a member of the rose family and are not actually a “berry”, but, a “false fruit” because the tiny seeds are carried on the outside of the fleshy part of the fruit and true berries carry the seeds within the flesh. California is the leading producer of strawberries in the nation; it produces an amazing one billion pounds of strawberries each year.

The American Diabetes Association has identified straw-berries as one of the top 10 superfoods for a diabetes meal plan because they have so many vitamins, antioxi-dants and dietary fiber. Antioxidants, fiber and phyto-chemicals have been shown to reduce total cholesterol levels. These are all good reasons for you to try to incor-porate more strawberries into your diet throughout the year.

Craft Workshops in May

DIY Watercolor Coffee Mug Workshops Friday, May 20 Class #1: 10:00 am - 11:30 am Class #2 - 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm

May is National Strawberry Month

"Spring is when life's alive in every-

thing." ~ Christina Rossetti.

Selecting Strawberries from the Grocery Store

Select strawberries that have a bright glossy ap-pearance and maximum red color development.

Avoid strawberries with signs of spoilage, shrivel-ing, mushiness or dull appearance.

Storing Fresh Strawberries

The best storage temperature for strawberries in the home is about 32°F to 36°F .

Store strawberries in the crisper drawer in the refrigerator.

Keep strawberries packaged in closed plastic clamshell containers or place fruit in a partially opened plastic bag to main-tain high humidity.

Do not wash berries until just before eating or preserving.. Washing will add moisture and will cause the berries to spoil more rapidly.

Strawberries can only be stored for up to 7 days under the best conditions. Shelf life also depends on how ripe the fruit was when purchased or picked.

The following tips on selecting strawberries from the grocery store and storing fresh strawberries is taken from a publication written by Dr. Linda J. Harris, a Food Safety and Applied Microbiology Spe-cialist with the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of California, Davis; and Dr. Elizabeth Mitcham, Postharvest Extension Specialist with the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of California, Davis.

Diseases that affect Strawberries

If you’re planning to grow strawberries, there’s a number of dis-eases that affect the fruit, leaves, roots and crowns. It’s important to know the types of diseases to look for. The following infor-mation discusses three of the most important strawberry diseases in Tennessee.

Anthracnose is a very destruc-tive disease that can affect almost any part of the strawberry plant. Anthracnose fruit rot is character-ized by circular, slightly sunken, tan to brown spots that usually turn black. Under humid conditions, the center of the spot can become covered with orange or salmon-covered spore masses. The spots grow until the berry rots and shriv-els. Anthracnose is favored by hot, rainy weather. Symptoms are diffi-cult to find before harvest; but, severe fruit rot can occur if the weather is favorable

Gray mold is the m ost com m on straw berry fruit rot. Losses can be high if persistent wet weather occurs during bloom or the fruiting season. The fungus can also cause crown rot. In-fections appear as light brown, rapidly expanding spots. They are irregular in shape, as opposed to the circular shape of anthracnose lesions. The gray mold is readily airborne and commonly encoun-tered. Mild, wet, humid weather is most favorable for infections. Most infections result from blossom infections that remain latent in the developing berry, becoming active and causing a rot when the fruit ripens. Red stele is a ser ious threat to susceptible varieties. Most current varieties are resistant, but some susceptible varieties are still planted commercially and can be found in home gardens. Affected plants are stunted, produce few runners and fruit, wilt when the weather become hot and die. The disease usually ap-pears first in poorly drained areas of the field and is most appar-ent from spring through mid-summer. The most characteristic symptom is the reddish-brown discoloration of the central cylin-der (stele) of otherwise white roots. The red stele symptoms in the roots are present only in the winter and spring. In later stages, roots die and turn black and may lack branching.

Strawberry Chicken Balsamic Salad

Total Time: 14 minutes

Serves: 4 - 6

Ingredients 2 cups chicken, cooked 4 cups romaine 2 cups strawberries ½ cup dried cranberries ¼ cup goat cheese ¼ cup sliced almonds Strawberry Balsamic Dressing 1 cup strawberries ¼ cup balsamic vinegar ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon. Dijon mustard 1 clove garlic, minced ¼ tsp pepper ¼ tsp salt

Strawberry-Kiwi Jam

Directions: Begin by making the strawberry balsamic dressing. In a food processor or blender, pulse the strawberries, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pep-per until smooth. Set aside. In a large bowl toss the chicken, romaine, strawberries, dried cranberries, goat cheese, and sliced almonds. Toss with dressing or drizzle on top of served portions.

Combine strawberries, kiwi, lemon juice, ginger and pectin in a large saucepot. Bring quickly to a boil, stir-

ring frequently. Add sugar, stirring until dissolve. Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring

constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam, if necessary. Ladle hot jam into sterile, hot jars, leaving ¼-

inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids. Process 10 minutes in a Boiling Water Bath.

3 cups crushed strawberries 1 tablespoon minced, crystallized ginger

3 kiwi, peeled and diced 1 package powdered pectin

1 tablespoon lemon juice 5 cups sugar

Makes about 6 half-pint jars

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Have you ever thought about the health benefits that strawberries provide? Following is a list of 10 interesting facts about one of your favorite spring fruits. For more facts, as well as, some interesting information on the history and lore of the strawberry, check out the University of Illi-nois Extension website: http://extension.illinois.edu/strawberries/facts.cfm

The following information on making jams and jellies is provided by

the National Center for Home Food Preservation, which is your

source for current-research-based recommendations for most meth-

ods of home food preservation. Fruit jelly is a clear, semi-solid mix-

ture of fruit juice and sugar that is firm enough to hold its shape.

Jam will also hold its shape, but, it’s less firm than jelly. It’s made

from crushed or chopped fruits and sugar.

Ingredients

For proper texture, jellied fruit products require the correct combi-

nation of fruit, pectin, acid and sugar. The fruit gives each spread its

unique flavor and color. It also supplies the water to dissolve the rest

of the necessary ingredients and furnishes some or all of the pectin

and acid. Good-quality, flavorful fruits make the best jellied prod-

ucts.

Pectins are substances in fruits that form a gel if they are in the right

combination with acid and sugar. All fruits contain some pectin;

strawberries contain little pectin and must be combined with other

fruits high in pectin or with commercial pectin products to obtain

gels.

Caution: Commercially frozen and canned juices may be

low in natural pectins and make soft textured spreads.

The proper level of acidity is critical to gel formation. If there is too

little acid, the gel will never set; if there is too much acid, the gel will

lose liquid. Commercial pectin products contain acids which help to

ensure gelling. Sugar serves as a preserving agent, contributes fla-

vor, and aids in gelling. Do not try to reduce the amount of sugar in

traditional recipes. Too little sugar prevents gelling and may allow

yeasts and molds to grow.

Preventing spoilage

Even though sugar helps preserve jellies and jams, molds can grow

on the surface of these products. Research indicates that the mold

which people usually scrape off the surface of jellies may not be as

harmless as it seems. Mycotoxins, which are known to cause cancer

in animals, have been found in some jars of jelly having surface mold

growth.

Because of possible mold contamination, paraffin or wax seals are no

longer recommended for any sweet spread, including jellies. To pre-

vent mold growth and flavor or color loss, fill hot products into ster-

ile Mason jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace, seal with self-sealing lids

and process 5 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Methods of making jams and jellies

Use of commercial liquid or powdered pectin works best with straw-

berries which are naturally low in pectin. The gelling ability of pec-

tins differs. To make uniformly gelled products, be sure to add the

quantities of commercial pectins to specific fruits as instructed on

each package. Overcooking may break down pectin and prevent

proper gelling. Only make make one batch at a time, according to

the recipe as increasing the quantities often results in soft gels. Stir

constantly while cooking to prevent burning. Recipes are developed

for specific jar sizes. If jellies are filled into larger jars, excessively

soft products may result.

Making Jam & Jellies

1. Eating strawberries more than twice a week can delay cogni-tive aging by up to 2½ years.

2. About 8 medium-sized strawberries contain more vitamin C than an orange.

3. The average strawberry has about 200 seeds.

4. Ninety-four per cent of United States households consume strawberries.

5. There is a museum in Belgium just for strawberries.

10 Interesting Facts about Strawberries

Page 3

Seasonal Fruit & Vegetable Chart

6. Strawberries have about 50% less sugar than that of an apple.

7. Strawberries are fat free, sodium free and cholesterol free.

8. One cup of strawberries is only 55 calories.

9. The flavor of a strawberry is influenced by weather, the variety and stage of ripeness when harvested

10. Americans eat 3.4 pounds of fresh strawberries each year, plus 1.8 pounds of frozen berries

Apricots Broccoli Collard Greens Guavas Mangos Pineapples

Artichokes Cabbage Cucumbers Kale Mushrooms Radishes

Asparagus Carrots Grapefruit Lemons Onions Rhubarb

Avocados Cauliflower Green Onions Lettuce Oranges Spinach

Bell Peppers Celery Green Peas Limes Papayas Strawberries

Instructions: 1. Put your patterned paper inside the frame. Replace the back on the frame. 2. Then you could hand-write your days of the week on the glass, or use it as a message

board or to-do list 3. If you choose to go a step further and use vinyl lettering for the days of the week.

Dry Erase Picture Frame Board Craft

Directions:

1. Add a dab of craft glue to the back of your butterfly decals. This will help them adhere to the charger well. Concentrate on the BODY of the butterfly, not the wings. Press the decal to the plate (pressing the body is ideal, you don’t want to secure the wings) and hold in place until secure.

2. Once the butterfly is in place, gently bend the wings upwards. This brings the butterfly to life and makes it three dimensional on the charger.

3. Continue the process, applying the various butterflies all over the charger. You can arrange them in clusters, or scatter them randomly. Feel free to add a sprig of flowers if desired.

4. Cut a length of ribbon for hanging. Secure the ends in place to the back of the charger using hot glue. Due to the weight of the charger, hot glue will work better for this step than craft glue. Simply snip the ribbon, apply some glue, and press into place. Allow several seconds for the glue to dry.

Spring Butterfly Wreath

Materials:

Burlap covered charger plate (area craft store, around $2)

Assorted butterfly decals (approximately $1)

Craft glue, hot glue, glue gun

Ribbon of your choice

Scissors

http://www.survivingateacherssalary.com/budget-friendly-spring-or-fall-butterfly-door-wreath-home-decor/

Ethel Bonner UT Extension Agent

Family & Consumer Sciences

Lincoln County 208 Davidson Street East Suite 117

Fayetteville, TN 37334-3502

Phone: (931) 433-1582 Fax: (931) 433-9302

E-mail: ebonner1@utk.edu

Materials:

Picture frame with glass front (12”x12” frame)

Scrapbook sheet of paper to fit in your frame

Optional: Vinyl cut letters for each day of the week

Dry-erase marker