Harvest of the Month

This Month’s Harvest: Starwberries!

Strawberries have a history that goes back more than 2,000 years. They are indigenous to both the northern and southern hemispheres. Strawberries grew wild in Italy where the first mention of strawberries occurred in the writings of Cato, a Roman Senator. European explorers discovered tiny, wild strawberries in North America in 1588 when they landed on the shores of the state of Virginia. Early settlers in Massachusetts enjoyed eating strawberries grown by indigenous farmers who cultivated them as early as 1643. The strawberry is also not a true berry, in the botanical sense. The flesh we eat is actually a swollen part of the stem, called the receptacle. Native Americans called strawberries “heartseed berries” and ground them into cornmeal bread. Inspired by this recipe, colonists created a similar version, referred to today as strawberry shortcake.