20 species range across the northern
hemisphere. The plants are easy to grow and
therefore are grown widely, from sub-arctic
Finland to tropical Ecuador. The strawberry is
unusual in bearing its “seeds” on the surface
of the fleshy portion, not inside. The “seeds”
are actually miniature dry fruits (achenes),
similar to buckwheat and sunflower “seeds,”
and the fleshy portion is the flower’s swollen
base, not its ovary. During ripening, the cells
of the strawberry interior enlarge and pull
apart from each other. The berry is therefore
filled with tiny air pockets, and its shape is
maintained by the pressure of the cell contents
pushing each cell onto its neighbors. When
this pressure is released, by water loss from
drying out or from freezing that punctures the
cell walls, the structure weakens and the fruit
becomes soft and mushy. Strawberries don’t
improve once picked, so they must be picked
ripe. Thanks to their thin skin and fragile
structure, they only last a few days, even in
barry
(Barry)
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