Strawberries are in season in Florida from December to April. Strawberries are an important Florida agricultural commodity and are delicious consumed fresh or in smoothies and desserts. Look for them now at your local grocery store or farmers market.

Fun Strawberry Facts

• Florida ranks second in strawberry production in the nation (USDA NASS 2014). During the winter months, Florida is number one in strawberry production (Mossler 2012)!
• Nearly all strawberries grown in Florida come from these counties: Hillsborough, Manatee, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe (Mossler 2012).
• Strawberries are not technically berries (Gulf Coast REC 2014)! They are actually an aggregate fruit because each strawberry is a collection of tiny individual fruits or “fruitlets” (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2015).
• One cup of halved strawberries contains 150% of the daily value of vitamin C. Strawberries are also a good source of fiber (USDA 2015).

For more information on UF/IFAS strawberry research, see the Gulf Coast Research and Education center fruit crops page.

References

Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2015. “Agreggate fruit.” Accessed December 10, 2015. http://www.britannica.com/science/aggregate-fruit

Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. 2014. “Strawberry Facts and Production Costs.” Accessed December 10, 2015. http://gcrec.ifas.ufl.edu/strawberry-facts-and-production-costs/

Mossler, Mark A. 2012. Florida Crop/Pest Management Profiles: Strawberry. CIR1239. Gainesville: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Accessed December 10, 2015. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pi037

US Department of Agriculture. 2015. “Strawberries.” Accessed December 10, 2015. https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/nutrition-through-seasons/seasonal-produce/strawberries

US Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service. 2014. “Chapter V: Statistics of Fruits, Tree Nuts, and Horticultural Specialties,” in Agricultural Statistics 2014. Accessed December 10, 2015. http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Ag_Statistics/2014/chapter05.pdf

Photo credits: Tyler Jones, UF/IFAS

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