06/06/2026
Strawberry Season 🍓(from my book)
In Native American Herbalism, and all around the world, the doctrine of signatures, which related a plant’s appearance to its properties, was a prescriptive memory aid for those who could not read and write. The heart shape of the strawberry not only gave it its name, wuttahimneash (literally “heart-berry” in the Algonquian languages), but it helped remind many indigenous peoples that strawberries are good for heart health.
The English name for strawberry is so deeply shrouded in the mists of time that ordinary speculation is hardly worth repeating; suffice it to say that “straw” runs through most etymologies. And technically speaking, strawberries are not even berries (berries have seeds on the inside, for one thing); they do, however, have springtime flowers that could make you blush, or a bumblebee bumble.
Any chipmunk, catbird, or child can appreciate that they are the first berry of spring. The tender-sweet red fruits melt in the mouth, reminding us once again why eating seasonally is sublime; when ripe, they are laden with vitamin C, help to thin the blood, and put a red-lipped smile on our face. And the evergreen leaves have long been used in winter, a time when few other greens are available, to bring nourishment to stews.
You can choose Fragaria vesca (woodland strawberry) if you want an upright perennial suitable for edging, knot gardens, or massed plantings; the berries are thimble-sized and sweet as can be. Fragaria virginiana, a wild strawberry from eastern North America, sends out runners and yields larger berries than F. vesca; as a vining perennial, it can simply be planted in the garden or used in hanging baskets, window boxes, or to diversify your lawn. FragariaĂ—ananassa, the modern domesticated garden strawberry, was first bred in Brittany in the 1750s by crossing F. virginiana and F. chiloensis, which was brought from Chile in 1714; its cultivars have virtually replaced the woodland strawberry in commercial production.
Strawberries are often grouped according to their flowering habit. June-bearing plants produce their fruit in early summer, and ever bearing plants are just that: throughout the season a single plant may produce fifty to sixty times, or roughly once every three days. Heirloom strawberries are easy to grow as a cottage garden or specialty you-pick farm crop, but they do ripen so “quick and tender” that they need to be eaten almost immediately. Few other foods demonstrate so well the marked contrast between sun ripened fruit meant to be consumed fresh, and the chemical-laden (and frequently flavorless) big ag versions, bred to be dense as ham for ease of shipping and maximum profit.
Throughout history, strawberries were most often enjoyed ripe from the plant or as table fruit. In addition to eating them fresh, many Native Americans dried them, or ate them in fritters. English and French settlers adopted this last preparation with gusto, as well as quickly coming to enjoy the seasonal abundance in simple bowls of strawberries and cream. As rhubarb increased in popularity, it was frequently blended with strawberries, which added sweetness to the tart rhubarb stem. By the 19th century, strawberry shortcake had become a national favorite, often associated with June strawberry festivals and fairs and Independence Day celebrations. In addition to these traditional desserts, strawberries were also preserved for winter and market use in the form of jam, jelly, fruit leather, and ice cream.
In the landscape, strawberries serve as a wonderful groundcover. They help with erosion control, and they make great native habitat plants, acting as a supplemental food source for wildlife and pollinators—and kids and families. In a layered and complex world, there is still always a place to enjoy an old-fashioned strawberry festival, buy a fresh pint, or eat your own sun-ripened berries. That can’t help but make your heart feel better.
"The Heirloom Gardener - Traditional Plants and Skills for the Modern World" book by The Heirloom Gardener - John Forti is available at your local bookstore, or here: https://www.amazon.com/Heirlo.../dp/1604699930/ref=sr_1_1 Woodcut (also from my book) Mary Azarian
