Fragaria vesca

The 'Four Seasons' Strawberry is a variety of wild strawberry that produces fruit all year round. It has retained the pronounced and characteristic flavour of wild strawberries, as well as the size of garden strawberries. Indeed, it produces a profusion of large oblong fruits measuring 3 to 5cm (1 to 2in) in length.
The 'Four Seasons' Strawberry is ideal for making tarts, as it combines subtle flavours with an abundance of plump fruits. Sow the seeds from February to May and harvest throughout the summer until the first frost. This variety, with its many qualities, can bear fruit as early as the first year if sown early enough.

The strawberry is a perennial plant belonging to the Rosaceae family. Known in Europe for centuries, it naturally grows in the undergrowth of temperate regions. However, most of the juicy strawberries cultivated in our gardens are hybrids derived from a species native to Chile and brought back by the navigator Amédé François Frézier. There are indeed several species of strawberries, the main ones being: Fragaria vesca or wild strawberry, known for its particularly fragrant small fruits; Fragaria moschata or musky strawberry; Fragaria viridis or green strawberry - also known as valley strawberry - less interesting due to the acidity of its fruits; and finally, Fragaria chiloensis or Chilean strawberry. These are wild strawberries. Most large-fruited cultivated strawberries are derived from the species Fragaria x ananassa, which is a cross between Fragaria chiloensis and Fragaria virginiana, another American species.

The strawberry has a spreading habit that can reach a width and height of up to 40cm (16in). The evergreen leaves are trifoliate, obovate, and finely toothed, forming dark green rosettes. It blooms with a multitude of small white, yellow, or pink flowers with a golden centre. Then, depending on the varieties, it produces mostly red fruits, although recent cultivars offer pink, yellow, or white strawberries. From a botanical point of view, strawberries are considered pseudocarps, with the actual fruits being achenes (seeds) that protrude from the surface.

The flavour of strawberries is very delicate, characterized by a sweet and fruity aroma, sometimes with a slight acidic note in the background. Non-remontant varieties only flower once a year in spring, while remontant varieties can flower twice a year or continuously from spring to autumn. Strawberries are a (pseudocarp) fruit rich in vitamins B8 and B9, very rich in vitamin C and E, and a source of provitamin A. They have remineralizing, hypotensive, and depurative properties. It is worth noting that strawberries can cause irritation for some people as they stimulate the release of histamine in the body.

Harvest: Pick the fruits as they ripen on the plants. Strawberries are delicate, so pick them with their stalks by pinching the stem 1 to 2cm (0 to 1in) above it. The texture of the fruit is a good indicator of its ripeness. It should be firm and yielding when pressed with the finger.

Storage: Strawberries are best enjoyed fresh, either on their own, with cream, or as a topping for tarts. They can be stored for about a week in the vegetable compartment of your refrigerator. However, if they have been bruised or scratched, they will not keep as long. If you have a large harvest, keep in mind that strawberries are fragile fruits. For longer preservation, consider using sugar, their best friend. Naturally, you can make jams, marmalades, compotes, or syrups. It is also possible to make ice cream or sorbets, but they will not keep as long. Another option is to dry the strawberries in the oven after slicing them into thin slices of at least 1 mm, which can be added to muesli. Finally, strawberries freeze very well. There are now small containers available for freezing small fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, or currants, etc.

Gardening tip: Strawberry plants are good companions for garlic, beans, lettuce, onions, leeks, thyme, and spinach. However, they do not thrive in the company of cabbage and other brassicas.