Fragaria vesca 'Temptation'

The 'Temptation' Strawberry is a vigorous and perpetual variety of Wild Strawberry renowned for its delicate aroma. It quickly produces delicious, dark red, shiny fruits of good size and in abundance. This dense strawberry is well-suited for cultivation in pots, planters, or hanging baskets to brighten up balconies and provide the best service in the kitchen. Sow from January until the end of April for a harvest from spring to late summer.

The strawberry is a perennial belonging to the Rosaceae family. Known throughout Europe since ancient times, it naturally grows in all the undergrowth of temperate regions. However, most of the fleshy 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 renowned for producing particularly fragrant small fruits, Fragaria moschata or Musk 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. The cultivated strawberries with large fruits are almost all derived from the species Fragaria x ananassa, resulting from Fragaria chiloensis and Fragaria virginiana, another American species.

The strawberry has a spreading habit that can reach 40cm (16in) in width and height. The evergreen leaves are trifoliate, obovate, well dentate, and form dark green rosettes. Its flowering is characterized by a multitude of small white, yellow, or pink flowers with a golden heart. Then, depending on the varieties, they produce mostly red fruits, but recent cultivars offer pink, yellow, or white strawberries. From a botanical point of view, strawberries are considered pseudocarps, with the achenes (seeds) protruding under the epidermis.

The flavour of the strawberry is very delicate and is characterized by a sweet and fruity fragrance, sometimes with a slight acidic note in the background. Non-remontant varieties flower only once a year in spring, while remontant varieties 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 provitamin A. They are known for their remineralizing, hypotensive, and purifying properties. It should be noted that they can cause urticaria in some people as they stimulate the release of histamine in the body.

Harvesting: pick the fruits from the plants as they ripen. Strawberries are fragile, so pick them with their peduncle 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 to the touch.

Storage: strawberries are best consumed fresh, either on their own, with cream, or as a topping for pies. They can be stored for about a week in the vegetable drawer of your refrigerator. When they have been bumped or scratched, they will not keep as long. If you have a large harvest, keep in mind that strawberries are fragile fruits. For longer storage, consider using sugar, the best friend of fruits. 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. You can also dry them in the oven after slicing them into thin slices of at least 1 mm, which can be added to your muesli. Finally, strawberries freeze very well. Small containers for freezing are now available for small fruits like strawberries, raspberries, or currants, etc.

Gardener's tip: strawberry plants are good companions for garlic, beans, lettuce, onions, leeks, thyme, and spinach. However, they do not appreciate the company of cabbage and other brassicas.