Fragaria vesca 'Four Seasons Supreme'

The 'Four Seasons Supreme' Strawberry is a variety of 'wild strawberry' that produces fruit all year round. It retains the distinctive aroma of wild strawberries and the large size of garden strawberries. In fact, it produces an abundance of large oblong fruits measuring 3 to 5cm (1 to 2in) in length.
The 'Four Seasons Supreme' Strawberry is ideal for making pies as it combines subtle flavors with an abundance of plump fruits.

Sow your seeds from February to May and harvest throughout the summer until the first frost. This variety has many qualities and, if sown early enough, can bear fruit in the first year.

The strawberry is a perennial plant belonging to the Rosaceae family. It has been known in Europe for a long time and naturally grows in the undergrowth of temperate regions. However, most of the juicy strawberries cultivated in our gardens are hybrids derived from a species native to Chile and brought back by the navigator Amédé François Frézier. There are indeed several species of strawberries, the main ones being: Fragaria vesca or Wild Strawberry, known for its small particularly fragrant fruits; Fragaria moschata or Musk Strawberry; Fragaria viridis or Green Strawberry - also known as Valley Strawberry - less interesting due to the acidity of its fruits; and finally Fragaria chiloensis or Chilean Strawberry. These are all wild strawberries. The cultivated strawberries with large fruits are almost all derived from the species Fragaria x ananassa, which comes from Fragaria chiloensis and Fragaria virginiana, another American species.

The strawberry has a spreading habit that can reach a width and height of 40cm (16in). The evergreen leaves are trifoliate, obovate, with toothed edges, and form dark green rosettes. Its flowering is characterized by a multitude of small white, yellow, or pink flowers with golden centres. Then, depending on the variety, they produce mostly red fruits, although recent cultivars offer pink, yellow, or white strawberries. From a botanical point of view, strawberries are considered pseudocarps, with the achenes (seeds) protruding under the skin.

The flavour of the strawberry is very delicate and is characterized by a sweet and fruity aroma, sometimes with a slight acidic note in the background. We can distinguish non-remontant varieties that flower only once a year in spring from remontant varieties that flower twice a year or continuously from spring to autumn. Strawberries are rich in vitamins B8 and B9, very rich in vitamin C and E, and contain provitamin A. They are remineralizing, hypotensive, and purifying. It should be noted that they can cause itching for some people as they stimulate the release of histamine in the body.

Harvest: Pick the fruits as they ripen on the plants. Strawberries are delicate, so pick them with their stalk by pinching the stem 1 to 2cm (0 to 1in) above it. The texture of the fruit is a good indicator of its ripeness. It should be firm and slightly soft to the touch.

Storage: Strawberries are best eaten fresh, on their own, with cream, or as a filling for pies. They can be stored for about a week in the vegetable compartment of your refrigerator. If they have been bruised or scratched, they will not keep as long. If you have a large harvest, keep in mind that strawberries are fragile fruits. To preserve them for longer, consider using sugar, the best friend of fruits. Naturally, you can make jams, marmalades, compotes, or syrup preparations. It is also possible to make ice cream or sorbets, but they will not keep as long. You can also dry them in the oven after slicing them into thin slices of at least 1 mm, which can be added to your muesli. Finally, strawberries freeze very well. There are now small containers available for freezing small fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, or currants, etc.

Gardening tip: Strawberry plants are good companions for garlic, beans, lettuce, onions, leeks, thyme, and spinach. However, they do not appreciate the company of cabbage and other brassicas.