Tiny sweet strawberries

Watch Reply
More
Mark unread Print Skip to new
ardesia Jacksonville, FL(Zone 9a) May 16, 2008

I am planning for next year. The strawberries grown on the pick your own farms around here are sweet but large and they mush up when you make jam. Does anyone know of a variety of strawberries that are very small and hold their shape when preserved? A few years ago I bought a jar of Strawberry Jam in while vacationing in Maine and the berries were tiny and still whole. It was delicious and very pretty.

I have grown the Frais ??? (I can't think of the rest at the moment) and they were OK but not great tasting. Are there better cultivars that I need to know about? I have a pot of local berries simmering on the stove for jam right now and I am wishing for those tiny whole berries.

Thanks

Post #4960668
Quote
darius So.App.Mtns., United States(Zone 5b) May 20, 2008

All I know is this:

Quoting:
Alpine strawberries, the tiny sweet wild strawberry, is also called fraises des bois (French for strawberries of the woods). They are hardy perennials and will thrive for years growing in shade or sun. They do not send out runners like regular strawberries. They Seeds sown in early spring will produce full-size plants by summer, and a small crop of berries. Next year, if well watered, they'll bear from late spring until hard frost.

Post #4980403
Quote
ardesia Jacksonville, FL(Zone 9a) May 21, 2008

Thanks Darius, that must be what they were. I have grown them, actually have some now, but the taste is nothing to write home about. I suspect the key word is "alpine"; we are derfinitely not alpine like here in the lowcountry.

Post #4980883
Quote
Farmerdill Augusta, GA(Zone 8a) May 21, 2008

Another possibility is the wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) Very tedious to pick but they are have much more flavor than cultivated strawberries. They grow all over North America. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=FRVI

Post #4980971
Quote
ardesia Jacksonville, FL(Zone 9a) May 21, 2008

I thought about that one, wonder what they taste like when grown along the coast.

Post #4984584
Quote
scottfsmith Baltimore, MD May 24, 2008

Earliglow stay pretty firm in jam and make a very good-tasting jam. They are also commonly available.

Scott

Post #4995628
Quote
ardesia Jacksonville, FL(Zone 9a) May 24, 2008

I'll have to look into that one too. Thanks

Post #4996466
Quote
critterologist Frederick, MD(Zone 6b) Jun 27, 2008

I wrote a DG article (published just yesterday) on alpine strawberries... http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1098/

Post #5167212
Quote
ardesia Jacksonville, FL(Zone 9a) Jun 27, 2008

Thanks, I will check it out.

Post #5167389
Quote

Post a Reply to this Thread

Please or sign up to post.
Back to Forum Homepage

More Fruits and Nuts Threads

Go to all Fruits and Nuts threads
BACK TO TOP