Call them what you will, strawberries by any other name are still strawberries strawberry pancake syrup. They are grown around the world, but no country or even state probably grows more than California. The USA by far is the world's largest producer of Strawberries, growing more than twice as many as any other country. While strawberry season for most of the USA is spring and summer, the whole year can be considered strawberry season for California. Strawberries grow in California South from San Diego north to Monterey Bay and the growing season encompasses every month of the year.

Strawberries were originally given their name, because straw was placed around the plants so that the fragile fruit would not rot from being on the moist ground. Today, plastic has replaced straw. In fact, the way in which Strawberries are grown is called plasticulture. The rows or furrows are covered in plastic and then holes are made in the plastic to insert and plant the runner that the Strawberries grow from. When the plants are done producing for the season, they are usually plowed under to return their nutrients to the soil. It has been found that it is more productive to plant new runners every year than to try and keep the plants from year to year.

In California, when one crop has finished producing, another is there ready to take over. The types of strawberries that are common in California are the Gaviota, Seascape, Camarosa, Albion and Ventanas. Gaviotas are larger berries and the Seascape is a small berry that is very sweet and tastes close to the wild strawberries that are found in France.

Unlike Blueberries, which are a single berry, the Strawberry is actually made up of many berries. Each seed is part of a berry or the reproductive organ of the plant. Fresh Strawberries can be had in the market but the freshest ones are the ones that are bought directly from the growers. They are usually picked the same day they are sold. This is an important item since Strawberries do not last very long once they ripen and they are almost always picked when ripe. If they are not ripe when they are picked, they are not going to taste very good as with Strawberries the ripening process does not continue once they are picked. California Strawberries are shipped around the world. When in Thailand, we found Driscoll Strawberries from California in a specialty store in Pattaya, a beach resort outside of Bangkok.

There are many uses for Strawberries including just eating out of hand. Strawberries are good with cereal or with cream which is a favorite at Wimbledon. They are used to make ice cream, milk shakes, pies, turnovers, jams and jellies, pancake syrup and everyone's favorite, strawberry shortcake. A favorite at Valentine's Day is to use the extra large strawberries with the stem still on to dip in melted chocolate.

strawberries are fragile and washing them is not the best way to main their integrity. The best way to clean them is to just wipe them off with a damp paper towel. If you do feel that you have to wash them, spray them lightly with cool water and immediately gently dry with a paper towel. If you are just eating them out of hand like any other fruit, you can leave the stem and leaves on, eat the fruit and then just throw away the stem and leaves. The stem and leaves on strawberries are called the hull. To use them in salads or pastries, remove the stem. The best way to remove the stem is to twist and pull or to use the point of a small paring knife to cut out the hull.

Whichever way you like to eat or serve strawberries, doesn't matter. All that matters is that you and the people you serve them to enjoy them.