06/01/2007

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Chow Line: Bigger isn't better with strawberries

Writer:

Martha Filipic
filipic.3@cfaes.osu.edu
(614) 292-9833

Source:

Lydia Medeiros, Human Nutrition

This is always the best time of year for strawberries, and I like choosing each one individually at the grocery store. How can be sure I'm selecting the best ones?

Strawberries can be delectable -- the fresher, the better. But watch out for overly large ones -- they frequently have a hollow space in the center, offering less sweetness, juiciness and flavor.

To get the best bang out of your berry, look for small to medium-sized strawberries that are dry and fully ripened -- rich red, without any pale patches. (Unlike some other fruits, strawberries don't ripen any further after being picked.) Avoid berries that appear shrunken or dull and those with soft spots or large seedy areas, and, of course, any with signs of decay or mold. In addition, green leafy stems should be intact, and remain so until after you wash the berries.

If you do buy strawberries that are prepackaged, they should be loosely packed to avoid damage.

Strawberries are a great source of vitamin C -- a cup of raw strawberries has a tad more (97 milligrams) than a cup of orange slices. It also provides plenty of fiber (three grams per cup) and manganese, and it's not a bad source of folate and potassium. Strawberries are also chock-full of phytonutrients that fight cancer, heart disease and macular degeneration, including lutein, zeaxanthin, ellagic acid and anthocyanins (the pigment that makes strawberries red). And all that for about 50 calories.

Once you get the berries home and in your kitchen, sort through them and discard any that aren't good quality. Experts say not to wash or cut strawberries until you're ready to eat them -- they'll stay fresher a bit longer. The best way to store strawberries is in the refrigerator in a single layer in a shallow container, covered with a paper towel and plastic wrap. Gently handled, they should keep fresh for at least a few days this way.

But if you can't wait, at least one study says strawberries cleaned and cut as if prepared for a fruit salad can last up to eight or nine days in the refrigerator with most of their carotenoids and vitamin C intact. But by that time, they didn't look too good. The study, reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in 2006, suggests that strawberries and other fruit-salad ingredients lose their visual appeal much more quickly than their nutrients.

The bottom line? The best strawberries are those that are fresh and in season -- enjoy them while you can.

Chow Line is a service of Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. Send questions to Chow Line, c/o Martha Filipic, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH, 43210-1044, or filipic.3@cfaes.osu.edu.

Editor: This column was reviewed by Lydia Medeiros, associate professor of human nutrition in the College of Education and Human Ecology, a state specialist with Ohio State University Extension, and a researcher with the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.