Growing Strawberries

GROW YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES

Strawberries are among the most popular, and evocative of summer fruits. No kitchen garden or summer desert is complete without them.strawberries are incredibly easy to grow. Strawberry plants can be grown almost anywhere in borders, containers or hanging baskets. Strawberries are adaptable and grow in most sunny situations. Homegrown berries taste far better than the store-bought ones and you can save some serious money by not having to pay supermarket prices.Follow some easy steps and grow these beautiful fruit in your home garden.

Planting and Growing Strawberries

• Buy plants from a trustworthy supplier so that the cultivars are what they say they are and the plants are disease free. 
• Order plants in late summer so that they can be planted in early autumn.A sunny spot outside your home is the best place to grow strawberries.
• Plant strawberries in a fertile well drained soil. Traditionally strawberries are planted in raised mounds. Mounding improves the drainage, increases air circulation around plants preventing the spread of disease and gives shallow soils more depth.
•  Plant strawberries 40cm apart in rows 40cm wide. Water in well after planting.   Mulching is a time-honored method for making the growing strawberries happy.
• After you've planted your strawberry plants, mulch the strawberry bed with shredded leaves, pine needles, compost, or straw. Pine needles are a good choice as they slightly raise the acidity of soil as they decompose. 
• Mulching also keeps the soil temperature down, mitigates the weed problem, and keeps the fruit cleaner by keeping the strawberries off of the dirt.
•  Most varieties of strawberries produce better when their roots are in cooler soil.
• Fertilizing helps growing strawberry plants reach their maximum potential. It can be beneficial to fertilize multiple different times in the life of a strawberry bed.

Harvesting And Storage

• Berries will start to appear in spring and start to ripen over a period of weeks. 
• Allow the fruit to become fully coloured before picking. 
• Birds love ripe strawberries, so netting will need to be used to keep them at bay.
• Eat them as soon as possible; they do not keep well, but some can be frozen or made into preserves.

Few Health Benefits Of Strawberries

• Anti-aging properties: Strawberries have biotin, which helps build strong hair and nails. Strawberries also contain the antioxidant ellagic acid, which protects the elastic fibers in our skin to help prevent sagging.
• Weight Loss: Strawberries contain a compound called nitrate that has positive effects on blood flow and oxygen around the body. Nitrate stops muscles from becoming too tired after exercise.
• The Vigorous Vitamin C: One cup of strawberries contains an incredible 136% of the RDA of vitamin C, an effective antioxidant that can help lower blood pressure, ensure a healthy immune system, and ward off the development of age-related ocular diseases, such as cataracts and muscular degeneration.
• Bone Health:  Strawberries have potassium, vitamin K, and magnesium which is important for bone health.
• Strawberries are good for your eyes, proper brain function, and provide relief from high blood pressure,arthritis, gout and heart diseases.

Strawberries with Mascarpone Whipped Cream Recipe

Ingredients

• 16 large Driscoll's Strawberries
• 11/2 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

• Cut stems off of the strawberries and place stem-side down on on cutting board. 
• Cut each strawberry lengthwise into quarters, stopping just before knife hits cutting board, so berries stay intact or cut crosswise in thirds. Place on a serving platter.
• Place mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until cream is thickened and smooth. 
• Place mascarpone mixture in a piping bag with a star tip attached or a plastic bag and cut off one corner of the bag to pipe. 
• Slowly pipe the mascarpone cream into the berries until filled.