Hungarian strawberries are already ripening, a good harvest is expected this year

(Photo: Pixabay)

The domestic fruit season started already at the beginning of April with the heated foil strawberry harvest. According to the overview of the National Chamber of Agrarian Economy and the Hungarian Vegetable and Fruit Association (FruitVeB), the ripening of strawberries has already started in unheated foil tent cultivation, and then at the end of April, beginning of May – depending on the weather – the harvest can also begin in the open field plantations. According to the experts, flowering and setting were adequate this year, although the overnight cooling of the past few days caused minor frost damage in the open field plantations, and the cool weather held back the development of the stands and the ripening processes. Overall, however, the crop prospects are quite good so far, and the warm, sunny weather will return from the end of the week.

Strawberries are not an after-ripening fruit, so only fruits harvested from the plant at full maturity provide the appropriate flavor and content values

Therefore, there is a big difference between foreign and domestic strawberries. Hungarian strawberries are orders of magnitude better in taste and texture than those imported from abroad, thousands of kilometers away, as they reach consumers fresh. Fresh Hungarian strawberries can be distinguished from imported fruits that are picked before they are ripe. Since Hungarian goods reach consumers in a much shorter time, gardeners can pick them fully ripe, which is also reflected in the taste experience.

About 600-650 hectares of strawberries are cultivated in our country

The largest growing areas are in the counties of Baranya, Bács-Kiskun and Pest. Hungarian strawberries typically appear on the market in three phases: in the beginning and middle of April, the heated foiled fruit goes to the markets and stores, then the unheated foiled fruit ripens in the second half of April, and from the beginning of May, the strawberries produced in larger quantities in the open field arrive. The domestic harvest thus lasts from April to June. The fruit commonly called “strawberry” is actually strawberry. Strawberries (which, by the way, grow on trees) and strawberries also belong to a different taxonomic unit: the strawberry belongs to the Morus genus, the mulberry family (the color of its fruit is white or black), and the strawberry belongs to the Fragaria genus, the rose family.

The strawberry is a fruit-bearing plant of “flies” in many ways

When ripe, it is the very first fruit-bearing plant that grows in our country, so it is understandable that the season is preceded by great anticipation every year. This is our only perennial, herbaceous fruit, which we keep in cultivation for the shortest time – only 1-3 years – because it ages extremely quickly. Our smallest fruit-bearing plant can reproduce almost by itself, thanks to the rooting of its tendrils, so it can be easily grown even in a home garden without any additional difficulties. It is our only fruit-bearing plant that can even live in a balcony box, thus creating an opportunity to grow fresh fruit even in the smallest garden, or on a terrace or balcony.

Its consumption is extremely healthy

It has a high antioxidant content typical of berries. Its vitamin C content rivals that of oranges. If you want to buy strawberries in larger quantities for canning and canning purposes, choose the farms that offer the specialized “pick-your-own” sales format, where you can harvest the fresh fruit yourself, which is also a pleasant outdoor, experience-rich leisure activity at the same time.

NAK/FruitWeb