Strawberry cultivar Alba.

Strawberry

Varieties: Albion, Madeleine Claire, ALBA, LOUISE

 

It is difficult to imagine anyone who would not love strawberries. This plant is not in vain considered to be one of the most popular and useful crops worldwide.

Strawberry is considered to be the queen of berries - a favorite of adults and children. Strawberry - a pharmacy on many occasions.

According to the content of vitamin C strawberries is second only to black currants. In five medium-sized berries, strawberry vitamin C as much as in a large orange. Folic acid in strawberries ahead of raspberry and grapes.

• Strawberry strengthens the immune system and the vascular wall.

• Strawberry protects our body against viruses and it can be eaten as a prevention against flu and colds.
• Strawberry has potent anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial action, so it is even credited as a medicine for people with a sick stomach.
• Also antimicrobial properties of strawberries are used to treat inflammatory diseases of the nose and throat.
• Strawberries helps to eliminate bad breath.
• Since strawberries contain iodine, with its adequate use in the summer, you can abandon further iodization of food.
• In spite of its sweet taste, strawberry has a hypoglycemic effect.
• Fresh strawberry juice (about a quarter cup) drunk in the morning on an empty stomach helps with cholelithiasis.
• Strawberry is a diuretic and is useful for those who have problems with the kidneys and liver.
• For those who want to lose weight, strawberry indispensable during fasting days.
• Strawberries help take excess water from the body.
• Strawberry helps with insomnia.
• Strawberries recommend to include in the diet of patients with anemia, with the fragility of blood vessels to improve blood formation.
• Strawberry is used as a diuretic and diaphoretic, hypertension, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease.
• From strawberries to make a mask for the face, they are dried and heal acne, tightens enlarged pores.

 

 

 

Clean skin, smear of strawberry juice, and then 15-20 minutes to put on the face of the pulp of strawberries wrapped in gauze. Then wash off the mask with warm water or a cotton swab dipped in cool milk. This mask is very suitable for those who have dry skin, give the skin elasticity and firmness.

• In folk medicine, strawberries are used as an antimicrobial agent for the treatment of deficiency diseases, gout, and uterine bleeding.

• As an antiseptic used aqueous extract of strawberries, they rinse the throat with tonsillitis and mouth with stomatitis.
• Strawberry Juice whiten and soften the skin.

 

 

And yet: Strawberries or strawberries?

Thirty species of wild strawberry is a perennial herb with trifoliate leaves on long stalks. From time to time the stems start to grow "whiskers" - long shoots take root at the nodes. An important feature of the flowers is the presence of so-called epicalyx. Fruit - achene, located on a heavily sprawling succulent receptacle, it's just the most valuable part of the fruit, it's just called wrongly "berries" strawberries.

The most important of all is the chief representative of the kind for us -  strawberry timber  (Fragaria vesca L), which blooms in May and June. However, Fragaria vesca var. semperflorens Duch. (only a wild variety) blooms and fruits from spring until late autumn; perhaps it is this subspecies of wild strawberry is the ancestor of cultural remontant varieties of strawberries that give several harvests in a row, until the onset of frost.

Strawberry timber widespread in Europe, Central Asia and Asia Minor, the Caucasus. It can be found in the woods on the open glades, among shrubs or on grassy slopes. Its fruits have a pleasant flavor and contain more than 4% glucose, 0.56% sucrose, about 1.5% acid and 0.0033% iron. The latter allows a dietitian to appoint strawberries in a diet for people suffering from anemia. In addition to iron, in its fruit is enough copper, cobalt and manganese, which also play an important role in hematopoiesis, and even vitamins B, C, PP, carotene, folic acid, phosphorus, potassium, calcium. By the way, the calcium content of strawberries is on the first place among the vegetables. In addition, phosphorus and calcium are very necessary to strengthen the teeth and the normal development of the musculoskeletal system (bone in the first place) - that is,

Strawberry or strawberry musk  (Fragaria moschata Duch.) Is characterized primarily unisexual flowers. It grows throughout Europe - in shady places, open forests, at forest edges. Fruit elongate conical shape and has an egg-white (greenish-white) color, slightly from one side blushing. Strong musky scent, "gave" the specific name of musk strawberry, which is considered the ancestor of cultural strawberry, strawberry different from the cultural high sugar content - up to 9,4%.

Widely used as the fruits of  strawberries eastern  (Fragaria orientalis Losinsk.), Common among the forests open mountain slopes in Northeast China, Far East, Mongolia, Korea. This kind of like replaces the European plants, populating the wide expanses of Asia.

And yet, the main role in the creation of a rich assortment of cultivars of strawberry played, apparently, "Americans" -  virgin (Fragaria virginiana Duch.) And  Chilean  (Fragaria chiloensis (L.) Duch. ) Strawberries.

The first of them - especially the North American resident, while the second - with larger fruits - found in both North and South America (comes to Patagonia and is the only strawberries, imbued millions of years ago in the southern hemisphere). Both "American" different few-flowered inflorescences, but if the first leaf below appressed hairy stems and they are barely visible, then the second - the leaves from the bottom, silky, and veins visible, very prominent.

Strawberry timber began to be introduced into the culture in Western Europe long before the discovery of America and the emergence in Europe "American." About fruit strawberries were sufficiently well informed by the ancient Romans and Greeks, in Russia long ago knew and appreciated this plant. In one of the oldest Slavic books have lines like: "Water from the berries of strawberry pleasant after the manner of the morning and evening, with by drinking ordinary mixed, and then any phlegm then cut off from the body, and weakness and yellowness of the body sleeves, and the respiratory veins opened, and inside destroy the stone ... ".

In folk medicine, the fruits of strawberries were considered from time immemorial healing, helpful for kidney stones and liver, and intestinal diseases.

By the way, the great Carl Linnaeus, who gave the name of strawberry timber in Latin, was cured of gout by eating large quantities of "berries" strawberries.

Still, it is believed that only with the appearance in 1624 in Europe, Virginia, and then - in 1712 - and the large-fruited Chilean strawberries as a result of hybridization, artificial and natural, a new, cultural, strawberries, many experts adopted today for a special, stand-alone in botanical nomenclature, the type -  strawberries grandiflora  (of Fragaria grandiflora Ehrh.) , wrongly called our strawberries.

In the last century a new type, which could hardly be the world without human intervention, is agricultural land with a total area of 200 to 300 thousand hectares.

Known in the late 19th century grower Gaucher admired plant: "We do not know a more healthy and refreshing dessert than fresh strawberries with sugar or without wine or brandy with milk or rum ... Similarly prepared from her jam, syrup, jelly marmalade are among the most delicious products of this kind. We look at the strawberries, as perfection, as highly undemanding and humble, beneficent and invaluable plant. It is equally loved by both rich and poor, both young and old ... For all sections of the population, from the palace to the peasant's hut, this berry - one of the desire of gifts, which we are endowed goddess Pomona. What jubilation when children herald the first ripening strawberries and when they can be plenty to enjoy it! ".

Enjoying strawberries,  it should be remembered and contraindications , and this - idiosyncrasy (which manifests itself very rarely), allergies, long-term renal hepatic colic, gastric hyperacidity.

Healing dignity strawberries:  removal of excess cholesterol from the organism, the treatment and prevention of hypertension, atherosclerosis, liver disease and kidney disease, including use as a diuretic to get rid of sand in the kidney and bladder, treatment of colds, neurasthenia, inflammations of the gastro-intestinal tract , septic wounds, improving the work of the heart in edema of cardiac origin (increases the amplitude and slows the heart rate), the use of face masks to anti-aging skin, for removing age spots on the face and acne, complex treatment of bronchial asthma, insomnia.

 

Recipes with strawberries

Strawberries in the protein foam

Very simple dish, which can be prepared under the condition of high quality starting material - primarily two egg whites; in addition to 4-5 glasses of strawberry fruit, take another half a cup of powdered sugar. Strawberries filled with proteins, well whipped with powdered sugar.

 

Jam

3.2 kg fruit poured equal amount of sugar, were added respectively 2 or 3 g of citric acid; after 6-7 hours can be boiled - first 15 minutes (at low temperature) and after 12 hours again. Then leave for another 10-12 hours and boil for 15 minutes the same last time. Now the jam is ready - and to eat, and to a more or less long-term storage.

 

Strawberries in beet juice

1 kg of strawberry fruit, 300 g of sugar, 1 g of citric or ascorbic acid, either 1/2 or 2/3 cup dining juice (red) beet. Bay fruit juice and adding the acid, is brought to a boil and boiled for 5-6 minutes on low heat. Immediately followed by pouring the juice of strawberries in a glass sterilized jars and roll, if you cook the product for future use.