3rd July: First edible, cultivated strawberry was exhibited.

On 3 July 1806, a horticulturist named Michael Keen exhibited Britain's first cultivated strawberry at a show in Isleworth, Middlesex. Here are 10 things you may not know about strawberries:

1. The strawberry had been around for far longer than that – garden strawberries had been grown in France since the 1700s, and even before that, the wild variety were extremely popular. There are references to them in ancient Rome, where they were taken for medicinal purposes, and they appear in 15^th century illustrated manuscripts produced by monks. It was believed that the entire plant, not just the berry, was a remedy for depression.
2. The species name for the strawberry plant is Fragaria ananassa, and it is part of the rose family.
3. The fruit is not technically a berry at all. It is a fruit, and a unique one because the strawberry is the only fruit to have its seeds on the outside. The average strawberry has about 200 seeds. An acre of land can produce about 20Mg (20,000kg) of strawberries.
4. They are a healthy food too, rich in Vitamin C – in fact, a bowl of strawberries contains more Vitamin C than an Orange. Folium, potassium and fibre are among its other benefits. They are low in fat, cholesterol and sodium.
5. In mythology the strawberry is the symbol of Venus and of Freya, both goddesses of love. The Greeks believed that strawberries originated when the goddess Aphrodite, distraught at the death of her mortal lover Adonis, wept tears which fell to the ground as small red hearts. Strawberries are, as a result, often associated with passion and seduction. In France, strawberries are considered an aphrodisiac. French newlyweds were served a traditional breakfast of strawberry soup with sour cream, sugar, and borage to celebrate their love. It is believed in many cultures that if two people share a double strawberry they will fall in love.
6. The Cherokees believe that strawberries were created to mend a rift between the first man and first woman. They had argued and the woman went off in a huff. The Great Spirit was worried – he wanted the couple to stay together and populate the earth. The Great Spirit began creating tasty fruit to place in the woman's way. He tried gooseberries, Apples and Blackberries, but it was the strawberry that made her stop in her tracks. As she gorged herself on them, first man was able to catch up with her and make amends. The fact that all the yummy strawberries had put her in a much better mood helped his cause considerably. Strawberries from then on represented love, forgiveness and good luck, not only to the Cherokee, but to many of the other tribes as well. Many held strawberry dances, to invoke the coming of spring and the first fruits of harvest. Some of these still take place today.
7. Another strawberry myth says that when Norse children die, their spirits hide in strawberries, which are picked and taken to heaven by Frigga, Oden’s wife.
8. In Christian art, strawberry fruit and flowers symbolise righteousness and spiritual merit, and would often be carved in wood and stone in churches. The leaves are trifoliate, so Christians took this to symbolise the Holy Trinity like the shamrock does. Before Christianity, pagan tradition held that the leaves represented the three manifestations of the Goddess, virgin, mother and crone. In Victorian flower language, the berry symbolises perfection and “sweetness in life and character.” Because the berry is often found hiding beneath the leaves, it also represented modesty.
9. A Slovakian story called “Strawberries in Winter.” tells of a beautiful girl whose father died, and her step-mother and step-sister made her do all of the housework while the mother invited prospective husbands around for the step-sister. However, the young men found the girl doing the housework much more beautiful than the one they were supposed to be paying court to, so the step-mother decided the beautiful girl must be got out of the way. She sent her out to gather strawberries in the middle of the winter in the hope that she would freeze to death and no longer be a burden to them. The Council of Seasons took pity on her, however, because she was so beautiful and sweet, and gave her as many strawberries as she needed. When the step mother and sister decided to go looking for the fruit in winter themselves, they were rude to the council, and the council, guessing that they were the tormentors of their sweet, beautiful friend, made sure they perished in an ice storm.
10. There is a museum in Belgium entirely dedicated to the strawberry.