Wild strawberries (fragaria vesca): Natural candy!

Detail of wild strawberry fruit

Strawberry:

Scientific Name: Fragaria Vesca

Habitat: Grow from low valleys to timberline in moist soils within meadows, woods and streambeds.

Main properties: Plenty! read here: http://www.botanical-online.com/english/strawberryproperties.htm

Additionally, strawberries can white the teeth when mixed with bicarbonate. Simply make a paste with 50-50 of both ingredients and rub your teeth with it. Leave it for 3 minutes and wash your mouth. Use it twice per week.

When to pick them?: When the fruit is totally red, they are more sweet and aromatic when totally red.

Wild strawberries or fragaria vesca are one of those short pleasures we cannot miss when summer arrives. Planted strawberries have a delicious taste as well but it is not as aromatic, intense and rich of the little wild strawberry. It is important to add that planted strawberries are sometimes treated with many pesticides that can decrease our endocrine functions: 

"Campaign partners Générations Futures and Pesticide Action Network Europe (PAN-E) conducted an investigation into strawberries sold in France, originating from the country or from Spain. Out of 49 samples analysed, 91.83% contained one or more pesticide residues and in total, 71.42% of the samples contained pesticides that are EDCs."

To read the full article follow this link: http://www.edc-free-europe.org/whats-in-your-strawberries/ 

You can find wild strawberries easy along the path walks in sunny areas, and even thou their habitat needs some moisture, I have seen them along roads where the soil has some sand and not much moist.

The season is very short and the battle to get good looking fresh ones is between you, the mooses, the deer and the snails! But do not worry, there are plenty of strawberries for everybody.

You can pick a big bunch of them and put them on a straw like this picture from pinterest:

Image taken from: http://pinterest.com/pin/99149629265805911/

Some important things to know about wild strawberries extracted from the web:

Source: http://www.fcps.edu

"Wild Strawberry is a common creeping plant that grows in forests,fields, lawns, forest edges, roadsides, and streamsides (just about anywhere). It can grow up to six inches tall, and its leaves are split into three leaflets. Each leaflet is 1 to 1 1/2 inches long and has teeth on its edges. Petiolesare hairy. Creeping plants, like strawberries, have runners. Runners are stems which grow sideways on the surface of the soil. As the runners grow, they send up new strawberry plants".   Flower detail image by Distant Hill Gardens

                                       
The wild strawberry flowers from April to June. Pick the ones that have an intense red color. Avoid the damaged ones (dark red, bad smell).

Parts used: Root, leaves, fruit


Uses for healing: Traditionally, Wild Strawberry was used to treat the liver, intestinal and stomach disorders. The leaves and roots were used in treatments of gum disease.

Nowadays, leaves are used as an astringent, in cases of sore throats, cuts, burns and bruises. Make a tea with the leaves if you have diarrhea.

The fruit has diuretic and cooling properties. It is usually used to treat arthritis, tuberculosis, gout and rheumatism. The tincture made from the leaves is useful in case of gingivitis.


NOTE TO SELF and TO YOU: 
"The red pigment found on strawberries seem to protect against UVA radiation (Anthocyanins) = Natural Sunblock

Homemade natural sunblock via http://frugallysustainable.com:
http://frugallysustainable.com/2012/03/a-recipe-for-natural-homemade-sunscreen/

Let me know if you try this out!!

Upper view of strawberry bush

More info:

How to grow organic via about.com strawberries? http://organicgardening.about.com/od/fruits/a/orgstrawberries.htm

Interesting video made by YuraGim: Facts about strawberries

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