Fragaria ananassa Charlotte

Fragaria ananassa 'Charlotte' from Organic Agriculture produces medium-sized heart-shaped strawberries with firm flesh and a sweet, slightly acidic taste, reminiscent of wild strawberries. They reveal woody and musky aromas in the mouth. It is a perpetual variety that bears fruit from June to the first frost in October. This excellent creation from Ciref dating back to 2004 is hardy and vigorous, with good productivity and resistance to phytophthora, powdery mildew, and anthracnose. However, it is sensitive to verticillium. 'Charlotte' is a reliable choice.

Strawberries can be consumed in multiple ways: they can be eaten fresh, with sugar, cream, or sliced thinly and dried before being incorporated into muesli or yogurt. If you have a plentiful harvest, consider making jams, sauces, pies, ice creams, or sorbets. You can also freeze strawberries.

There are 3 categories of varieties:

- wild or perpetual strawberries, producing small fruits from June to October

- non-remontant varieties with large fruits, flowering once a year in spring, producing very large fruits around June

- remontant varieties with large fruits, flowering twice a year or continuously, producing large fruits from June to October

The wild strawberry, present during Roman times and in the medieval period, was crossed in the 18th century with a species brought back from Chile, resulting in, through successive selections, different varieties with large fruits.

The strawberry is a hardy perennial belonging to the Rosaceae family. This variety has a sturdy habit, with persistent, trifoliate, ovate, and dentate leaves. It offers small white flowers with a golden centre that will transform into large red fruits. Botanically speaking, strawberries are considered pseudocarps, with the achenes (seeds) appearing on the surface of the epidermis.

For harvesting, pick the fruits as they ripen, every 2 or 3 days, ideally in the morning. Strawberries are delicate, so pick them with their calyx by pinching the stem 1 to 2cm (1in) above it. The texture of the fruit is a good indicator of ripeness. It should be firm and slightly soft to the touch. Strawberries are rich in vitamins and minerals. They can cause urticating reactions in some individuals as they stimulate the release of histamine in the body.