When you look closely at a strawberry, you see small dots evenly distributed. And if they are there, it is not a coincidence. They play a real role, so find out which one.
From April to June, it is strawberry season. Plain, with sugar, cream, ice cream or in a cake, there are a thousand ways to enjoy this red fruit. There are also many varieties: gariguette, ciflorette, charlotte, mara des bois or gourmandine. They all have a particular scent and a more or less consistent sweetness. That’s for the differences. On the other hand, they also have similar characteristics: you will notice that they all have small seeds that crunch in the teeth. What can they be used for? Don’t you have an idea?
The strawberry has a particularity compared to other fruits, because its reproduction takes place in the earth. Small stems (stolons) take root near the mother root and form a new strawberry plant. And the little seeds? They are called achenes and are, in fact, the true fruits. When they fall to the ground, they allow the formation of new plants. What we eat, the juicy and red part is simply the fleshy receptacle. The strawberry would therefore not quite be a “real” fruit, at least in the botanical sense of the term. It is therefore considered a “polyakene”, or a multiple fruit composed of… achenes! Which means that when you eat it, you ingest dozens of strawberries to come. Surprising, right?
But then, what happens if we plant the achenes in the ground? Imagine that it is possible to have a strawberry plant. Be careful, the operation is not easy and requires a little gardening skill. It is advisable to crush the strawberry in a sieve, while delicately rinsing the crushed flesh with water in order to recover the achenes where the seeds are located. They must then be dried and stored in an airtight envelope in order to plant them from January. The best season to start.
Now you know which part of the strawberry is really the fruit and above all that these little seeds, which we don’t pay attention to, are ultimately very important. When someone questions their roles, you can bring back your strawberry. As for the receptacle which only plays a supporting role, that will not prevent us from continuing to appreciate it for its juicy and very tasty taste.
