Strawberries are the first fruits to ripen in early spring. In Illinois, most won't be ready until May or June. One cup of fresh berries supplies more than the recommended daily adult requirement for Vitamin C.
Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds growing on the outside. More facts about strawberries.
Be a Food Explorer: Strawberry Bread
American Indians were already eating strawberries when the colonists arrived. The crushed berries were mixed with cornmeal and baked into strawberry bread. After trying this bread, Colonists developed their own version of the recipe and created strawberry shortcake.
Make Native American strawberry bread as described above. Crush frozen strawberries or strawberry preserves into your favorite cornbread recipe or mix. Serve with strawberry cream cheese with a few fresh strawberries on the side.
More classroom recipes with fruit
Play With Your Food: Strawberry Math
On average, there are 200 seeds on a strawberry. Using this figure, have students estimate the number of seeds in a cup of fresh strawberries. Develop a strategy for counting the seeds before eating the strawberries.
- Oklahoma's Berry Best - Activities and information about the variety of berries grown on Oklahoma farms. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnzHfSDfZA4
- Related Smartboard Activities
- In Strawberry Fields - Math problems related to the wages of farm workers.
- DNA Blueprint for Life (DNA experiment with strawberries)
- Ag in Poetry: My Strawberry, by Helen Hunt Jackson
- Berry Painting
- The Berry Bucket