Immersive strawberry picking is a big hit during the Spring Festival! Check out this guide to avoid pitfalls

The Spring Festival is approaching, and it is a good time to pick greenhouse strawberries. In recent years, picking strawberries has become a popular family activity during the New Year holidays. Many people like to go to the greenhouse to pick strawberries and experience the fun of picking.

Most strawberry bases are in the suburbs, so a trip can help us increase our outdoor exercise time and breathe fresh air. Picking can exercise our hand-eye coordination and body flexibility, and also allow us to taste the freshness from the field to our mouths, which is suitable for all ages.

So, how do you pick your own "Baoen Strawberries" when picking strawberries? There are also some objections to picking strawberries online: Are greenhouse strawberries "off-season fruits"? Are greenhouse strawberries grown so well because they are sprayed with a lot of pesticides or hormones? Let's take a look at everyone's questions one by one.

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Can greenhouse strawberries be eaten safely?

With the popularity of greenhouse cultivation, strawberries and some other vegetables and fruits have taken off the hat of "seasonal limitation" and can be eaten almost all year round. Many people may have this concern: Is it really safe to eat these fruits that should be eaten in spring and summer in the cold winter?

Let me first state the conclusion: greenhouse technology is very safe and you can eat strawberries with confidence.

In nature, strawberry plants like water and fertilizer, and the suitable growth temperature is 15-25 degrees Celsius . They will grow poorly below 10 degrees Celsius and above 30 degrees Celsius. Humidity usually needs to be between 60% and 80%. Too high humidity can easily cause strawberries to be infested with insects. Therefore, before the emergence of greenhouse technology, people often sowed strawberries in early spring and harvested them before midsummer; or sowed them in August or September, letting the plants go dormant through the winter, and then sprout, bloom, and bear fruit in the spring of the following year.

The emergence of greenhouse planting technology has solved the problem that the temperature and humidity in some seasons are not suitable for strawberry growth. It can not only control temperature and humidity manually, but also monitor the growth status of strawberries and add fertilizer in time. In addition, the continuous improvement of strawberry varieties and the emergence of some early-maturing varieties have also brought forward the maturity of strawberries. In the final analysis, off-season strawberries are not because of the use of "tricky methods" to promote strawberry growth, but because of the use of modern technology to provide strawberries with a suitable growth environment.

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If we take a long-term view, large-scale greenhouse cultivation often uses various technologies to achieve efficient irrigation, precise fertilization, and recycling of planting waste. At the same time, it can prevent strawberry diseases and pests by controlling temperature and humidity and physical isolation. This not only greatly increases strawberry yields, but also makes a significant contribution to water conservation, soil protection, and improving local microclimate.

From this point of view, friends who are worried about the excessive use of pesticides in greenhouse strawberries can rest assured. As long as they follow the usage specifications and use the pesticides reasonably, combined with advanced planting models and pest control techniques, it is completely possible to avoid excessive pesticide residues.

Some friends may wonder why greenhouse strawberries are generally large in size. Are they caused by the use of xx hormones?

In fact, the size of strawberries depends on the variety selection and the planting management. Nowadays, the common strawberries grown in greenhouses, such as Red Beauty Strawberries, Cream Strawberries, Suizhu Strawberries, Christmas Red Strawberries, and Snow White Strawberries, are larger than the strawberries we ate when we were young. In addition, the greenhouse planting environment is superior and the cultivation management is proper, so they naturally grow larger. This is consistent with the principle that children grow healthier if they have a reasonable diet and a scientific schedule.

What are the nutritional differences between strawberries grown in greenhouses and those grown in the open field?

Strawberries are low-calorie (32 kcal/100 grams) and low-glycemic index (glycemic index is 40) fruits. They are more conducive to controlling calorie intake and blood sugar levels than other common winter fruits such as bananas, persimmons, and tangerines. Even those who want to lose weight or have poor blood sugar control can eat some of them.

The nutritional value of greenhouse strawberries is not inferior to that of natural strawberries.

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Studies have found that under good growing conditions, the vitamin C content of some strawberry varieties grown in greenhouses can reach 600.9 mg/kg and the sugar content can reach 13%, which is much higher than the average vitamin C content of 47 mg/kg and the average sugar content of 7% recorded in the "Chinese Food Composition Table" (Sixth Edition).

However, the content of these nutrients will vary with the variety and growing conditions. There is no need to worry about the content of a particular nutrient . If you want to supplement more vitamin C, just eat a few more pills.

However, there are many varieties of strawberries nowadays, each with its own flavors and textures. How should we choose?

The most common red strawberry has a sweet and sour taste, is of moderate size, and has slightly firm flesh, making it more suitable for transportation;

Cream strawberries (Akihime strawberries) are slightly larger than red strawberries, and have a juicy and soft texture. Although they are not very convenient for transportation, they are loved by many people because of their low acidity and milky aroma.

Christmas red strawberries picked around Christmas are larger than red strawberries, taste sweet and sour, and have a strong berry aroma;

The fruit and flesh of Snow White Strawberry are pink and white. It is similar in size to Red Beauty Strawberry, but slightly smaller than Cream Strawberry. It tastes sweet and sour with a light pineapple aroma. The flesh is delicate and melts in your mouth.

Suizhu strawberries not only mature earlier than Hongyan strawberries, but are also larger in size. Their deep red, shiny appearance, sweet, soft and juicy taste, and their ability to withstand transportation have made them gradually familiar to people.

You can choose according to your taste preferences and blood sugar conditions, there is always one that suits you.

How to become a strawberry picking expert ? Remember these few tips

If you want to master the skills of picking "perfect" strawberries, you can refer to the following:

· Tools: Prepare a small basket with a soft cloth or kitchen paper on the bottom to hold the strawberries, and a pair of small scissors to cut the fruit stems;

Self- preparation: Wash your hands in advance to prevent bacteria on your hands from contaminating the strawberries; walk into the strawberry field according to the ridges to avoid bumping into or stepping on the strawberries;

Choose the appearance: Choose strawberries that are full and regular in appearance, moderate in size, uniform in color and shiny, and without any damage or spots on the surface. Avoid strawberries with uneven color, particularly large or small, or odd shapes.

· Gentle action: When cutting the fruit stem, hold the fruit gently with your hands to prevent it from falling and breaking; put it gently into a small basket, and put soft cloth or kitchen paper between each layer to reduce friction and squeezing;

· Strawberry washing: The strawberry skin is very delicate and easily damaged. Don’t rush to wash it after picking it. Try to minimize handling and keep the fruit stem intact. This can extend the shelf life and avoid corruption during transportation.

· Storage of strawberries: Store the whole basket of strawberries in the refrigerator to avoid decay and extend the shelf life. Wash as many as you want to eat each time, and it is best to eat them within 2 to 3 days.

When it comes to cleaning, how do you wash such delicate strawberries? It's actually not difficult, just three steps:

The first step is to keep the fruit stem and wash away the dust and other attachments on the surface with running water;

Step 2 : Soak in light soda water, vegetable and fruit cleaning agent, light salt water, etc. for about 5 minutes;

The third step is to rinse it with running water a few times, then you can remove the fruit stems and enjoy the delicious taste!

Try eating strawberries this way, healthy and delicious

Besides eating strawberries directly, what other delicious and healthy ways are there to eat them?

1

Strawberry Milkshake

Friends who love milk tea may want to replace milk tea with strawberry milkshake. Just put freshly washed strawberries, milk and yogurt into a milkshake cup/mixer cup to get a cup of pure natural, sugar-free, low-calorie, high-vitamin C sweet milkshake.

2

Strawberry Dessert

Friends who like desserts can make homemade desserts with strawberries. Soak instant oatmeal in warm water, add milk, strawberry cubes, eggs, baking powder, a small amount of sugar substitute, and a small amount of olive oil to make a paste, put it into a pudding mold, decorate the surface with strawberry slices, and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes to get a low-calorie, low-sugar, low-oil, high-protein, and high-dietary-fiber strawberry dessert.

3

Strawberry Yogurt Ice Cream

Wash the strawberries and mix with yogurt to make a milkshake. Put it into an ice cream mold and freeze it in the freezer for 4 hours. You will get healthy, additive-free ice cream!

Some netizens have also developed a lazy version of strawberry ice cream: dig a small hole in the strawberry butt, pour a spoonful of yogurt into it, and freeze it to make a sandwich strawberry ice cream. The freezing method prolongs the strawberry's tasting period and allows us to taste new delicacies, which is also a good way to do it.

Image source: screenshot of Xiaohongshu

The Spring Festival holiday is coming soon, let’s invite family and friends to go pick strawberries together!

References

[1] Geng Xiufen, Zhou Guangxue. Effects of temperature conditions on strawberry growth and fruit expansion [J]. Journal of Liaoning Agricultural Vocational and Technical College, 2004, 6(3): 18-20.

[2] Zhai Xuening, Zhang Yahong, Zhang Xiaoli, Li Peng, Geng Xiaoling. Comparison of photosynthetic characteristics, yield and quality of four strawberry varieties in solar greenhouse[J]. Jiangsu Agricultural Science, 2019, 47(2): 124-126.

[3] Yang Yuexin. Standard Edition of Chinese Food Composition Table (6th Edition/Volume 1)[M]. Peking University Medical Press, 2018.

Planning and production

Author: Wang Lu, registered dietitian

Review | Ruan Guangfeng, Deputy Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center

Planning丨Wang Mengru

Editor: Wang Mengru

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin