Strawberries are probably the most famous fruit in the world. People in America , Canada and Italy hold strawberry festivals around harvest time to celebrate it. What’s so special about strawberries that makes people want to party?

Mistaken identity
Strawberries are actually not fruits in the botanical sense. They are the seeds of the strawberry plant. It is from the Rosaceae or the rose family. That means the strawberry plant is actually classified as a rose!

More on the misunderstood plant
There are more than 20 known species of strawberries. The most common one we eat is the garden strawberry. We can grow strawberries in any garden soil, but the richer the soil, the larger the strawberries we will get. Unfortunately, they grow best in cool, moist climates and do not fare well in warm climates like ours.

Strawberry plants reproduce in a very unusual way. They do not reproduce by seeds as most plants do. Instead, when the strawberries are developing, the plant sends out slender growths known as runners. These runners look like strings. When they touch the ground, they send out roots into the soil and grow into new plants. Sometimes, the runners are cut out and replanted to start a new plantation. Strawberries are greenish-white in colour when they are growing, but turn a rich red when they ripen. Isn’t the strawberry plant unusual and interesting?

Nutritious and delicious
In a survey of seven to nine-year-old American children, over 53 per cent picked strawberries as their favourite fruit. That’s not surprising. Strawberries are nice to look at and simply delicious. What’s more, they are very nutritious as well.

Strawberries contain a lot of vitamin C. Just eight strawberries will give you enough vitamin C for the whole day. They are also rich in vitamin A, which helps improve your eyesight!

Strawberry festivals
In Italy : On the second Sunday of June, the townspeople of Nemi parade around, dress up as ancient strawberry pickers, or even the berries themselves. Plenty of strawberries are served during the festival. They are eaten fresh, or with cream and sugar. Yummy!

In the USA : Strawberry festivals are celebrated in many states at different times of the year. Perhaps the most popular of them is the Poteet Annual Strawberry Festival in Texas . It draws about 100,000 people annually. They are entertained by country stars, strawberry auctions, helicopter rides and much more. The highlight of the event is the Strawberry Judging Contest as people wait with bated breath to see whose strawberry is crowned King of the Strawberries.

In Canada : The Strawberry festival is held annually in Canada during the week that they celebrate their national day. Besides celebrating strawberries, the festival has competitions, games and lots of other entertainment.

Fun facts about strawberries that you probably do not know

– The state of California in the USA is the largest producer of strawberries in the world. If all the strawberries produced in California were laid side by side, they would go around the world 15 times!

- Madam Tallien, a great historical figure in France in the 18 th century, used to bathe in a tub full of strawberries to keep the radiance of her skin.

- The flavour of a strawberry is influenced by the weather, the variety and stage of ripeness when it is harvested.

- There is a museum in Belgium specially dedicated to the amazing strawberry!

Hey kids, if you love strawberries, why not try HL Marigold’s new strawberry flavoured milk? HL Marigold strawberry milk blends the delicious taste of strawberry with the benefits of milk. Now we can enjoy a tasty drink while building healthy bones and teeth at the same time! Isn’t that great?