The pineberry is not a new fruit, but it is new to the commercial markets. It has received a lot of buzz recently as it was snatched from shelves in the United Kingdom. Here is this novelty's story:
The story starts in the 1700s. At that time, strawberry plants were taken to France from both North America and South America. The North American strawberry, Fragaria virginiana and the South American strawberry, Fragaria chiloensis were cross-bred. The resultant cross became known as Fragaria x ananassa and became cultivated more widely. Through breeding and selection programs, the large-fruited Garden Strawberry eventually became grown and consumed widely. That stereotypical strawberry that we all know and love, however, wasn't bred and selected overnight. And, there were other genetic traits sacrificed in favor of others.
In 2003, a few Dutchmen stumbled across some strawberry plants in France that were still hanging on and took them back to the Netherlands. These strawberry plants produced small, white fruits with red seeds. This is almost an inverse strawberry when compared to a "normal" red strawberry. But, even more interesting than the appearance, is the taste of these strawberries. Instead of tasting like normal strawberries, their flavor profile is a fusion of pineapple and strawberry. Hence, the fruits received the moniker, "pineberry."
The plants taken from France were cared for and nourished and selectively grown to strengthen the plant line. After six years of careful plant selection, the once-feeble plants were strong enough to be cultivated commercially. And so they were. They are now offered by VitalBerry, a Dutch company, through Waitrose, a grocery store chain in the UK for a period of 5 weeks in the spring.
They are still a novelty item and have received mixed reviews. Some culinary "experts" have reported that the fruits are watery and merely a sales gimmick. Others genuinely rave about them.
Unfortunately, however, they are only sold commercially in the UK at present. This will likely change if demand increases and the small white fruits with red seeds rise in popularity.
Retail pineberry sales do face a significant hurdle before they can be produced on a large scale. The pineberry plants produce berries that are quite small when compared to the typical store-bought strawberry. Additionally, each pineberry plant produces significantly fewer berries. This means that the demand will have to increase exponentially in order to get commercial growers to grow them. With small yields and small strawberries, it is just not profitable for the big agricultural giants and strawberry farms to bring them to market.
So, at least for the present, pineberries will fill a niche market and will most likely stay within Europe. If varieties of pineberries are developed that retain their unique flavor while improving size and fruit production, they will likely become as ubiquitous as their red cousins are during the early summer months.
If you can't wait until that day (if it ever comes), you can always buy a few plants and begin to grow your own!
You can grow your own buy purchasing your own pineberry plants. Find out more details here: Pineberry
For other varieties, you can reference this directory: Strawberry Plants for Sale
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com
No comments:
Post a Comment