{"id":3727,"date":"2016-12-03T20:27:10","date_gmt":"2016-12-03T20:27:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.reading.ac.uk\/crg\/?p=3727"},"modified":"2016-12-03T20:27:10","modified_gmt":"2016-12-03T20:27:10","slug":"a-sweet-surprise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/herbarium\/2016\/12\/03\/a-sweet-surprise\/","title":{"rendered":"#AdventBotany 2016 – Day 3: A sweet surprise!"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Fi Young<\/a><\/h1>\n
\"A<\/a>
A Japanese Christmas Cake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Happy birthday to me, Happy birth… hold on just a minute this is the 25 days Advent Christmas Botanical Calendar, so why the birthday?<\/p>\n

My birthday does indeed fall on the 3rd day and like anyone else I do love a cake.\u00a0 But the cake for today is a Japanese Christmas Cake.\u00a0 However, Japanese do not celebrate Christmas so the 25\/26 December is not a national public holiday but it doesn’t stop them celebrating or eating cake.<\/p>\n

So move along you traditional Christmas cake ingredients cinnamon, nutmeg, cherries and sultanas, it’s time for the strawberry! The strawberry I hear you cry as you think hot summer days and Wimbledon Tennis!\u00a0 Yes, the strawberry!<\/p>\n

This cake is lush.\u00a0 It can be any shape you want and is easily made.\u00a0 Make a light sponge, cover it with lashing of whipped cream and decorate with strawberries.\u00a0 For those of you with Masterchef skills variations on this theme abound [1].<\/p>\n

\"White<\/a>
Puni Puni Japan LLC (2012) Image of Christmas Cake @ http:\/\/www.punipunijapan.com\/uploads\/2012\/12\/large-768×1024.jpg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now I have tantalised you with the cake, let’s go ‘hug’ the strawberry (don’t get it on your clothes now!).<\/p>\n

Fragaria<\/em> x ananassa<\/em> commonly known as the garden strawberry is an artificial hybrid between Fragaria virginiana<\/em> Mill., the scarlet strawberry from Eastern North America and the walnut sized fruiting species Fragaria chiloensis<\/em> (L.) Mill., the beach strawberry from Chile.\u00a0 The word for strawberry in Japanese is ichigo<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Descriptively the strawberry is not a berry at all, but an aggregated accessory fruit which consists of many small glabrous achenes embedded within the fleshy surface of the enlarged conical, fleshy red receptacle.\u00a0 An achene is a indehiscent dry fruit developed from a single ovule. Yeah the real annoying bits that get stuck between your teeth! [2<\/a>]<\/p>\n

In Europe the origin of the cultivated strawberry dates back to the 1750s where it was first bred in Brittany, France.\u00a0 In Japan the strawberry was introduced by the Dutch into Nagasaki (the only Japanese sea port allowed to trade with the Netherlands) during in the Edo Period (1603-1867) and small amounts of cultivation began in the Taisho Period (1912-1926).\u00a0 Japanese strawberry cultivation really took off during the decade 1945-1955 as research and development created new varieties along with the ability to extend the harvesting period. [3-4]<\/p>\n

\"Strawberries<\/a>
Strawberries grown off the ground to protect from damp and mould<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The strawberry plant itself is stoloniferous perennial herb that grows in fertile, slightly acidic, well drained , moisture retentive soil.\u00a0 In traditional commercial cultivation its roots are grown under black polythene covered with straw (plasticulture) but there has been a shift to growing strawberries inside polytunnels or greenhouses at waist or head high troughs making the hanging fruit easily to pick.\u00a0 By growing off the ground the plants are undamaged by slugs and snails and less prone to mildews as air can circulate freely around the fruit. [5<\/a>]<\/p>\n

The Japanese strawberry season occurs May-June for outside crops and December to April for greenhouse crops.\u00a0 Six months of yumminess! [6]<\/p>\n

\"Map<\/a>
Regions and Prefectures of Japan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Nyoho cultivar was introduced in 1985 and Tochigi Prefecture (9) became the largest strawberry growing region becoming known as the ‘Strawberry Kingdom’.\u00a0 Today Tochigi Prefecture (9) still produces the largest crop of strawberries, followed by Fukuoka (40) and Kumamoto (42) Prefectures (numbers after the Prefecture refers to Map of Japan opposite). [7,8]<\/p>\n

Each strawberry growing Prefecture is known for a particular cultivar of strawberry:\u00a0 ‘Tochiotome’ (the successor to Nyoho cultivar) in Tochigi, ‘Amaou ‘ in Fukuoka and ‘Hinoshizuku’ in Kumamoto.\u00a0 Unlike English cultivars the Japanese varieties are sweeter, larger and more tender on consumption. [7]<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A fresh skyberry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A new extra large strawberry cultivar, the Skyberry was introduced in 2011.\u00a0 Two-thirds of its strawberries weigh over 25 grams \u2013 that\u2019s the same weight as a typical bag of crisps! Each berry costs about 500 Yen (\u00a34) each.\u00a0 The Hatsukoi no Kaori aka ‘the Scent of First Love’ is an unusual strawberry as it is white in colour on the outside and on the inside but it is not an albino. [4, 9, 10, 11]<\/p>\n

The Japanese love to pick and eat strawberries fresh from the plant so visiting strawberry farms and paying to eat strawberries by the half hour (around \u00a310, 1500 Yen) is quite a common and a fun activity.\u00a0 They are taught how to pick the fruit at peak ripeness so no berry is wasted.\u00a0 Just make sure you book a time slot during peak season as just showing up will probably result in you being turned away because of the crowds! [6, 12]<\/p>\n

And how about my attempt at making my Japanese Christmas \/ Birthday cake? Not bad for a first try \u2013 beginners luck as usual!<\/p>\n

About the author:<\/h2>\n

\"dark1\"<\/a>Fi Young is an alumnus of the UoR MSc. Plant Diversity degree (2007-2009).\u00a0 When Fi is not in poor mental health she is a Committee Member, Winnersh Parish Coordinator and tree hugger for the WDVTA, a Coursera.org Volunteer Mentor for the Johns Hopkins University Data Science Specialism: Capstone Project and a School Governor.\u00a0 Fi continues her scientific projects online at www.lacistemataceae.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sources:<\/h2>\n

[1]\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Puni Puni Japan LLC\u00a0 (2012) Image of Christmas Cake @ http:\/\/www.punipunijapan.com\/uploads\/2012\/12\/large-768×1024.jpg<\/a><\/p>\n

[2]\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Image of accessory fruit @ http:\/\/image.slidesharecdn.com\/biomod4unit13lesson3fromflowerstofruitsandseeds-150519162717-lva1-app6891\/95\/biology-m4-flowers-to-fruits-and-seeds-31-638.jpg?cb=1432052879<\/a><\/p>\n

[3]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fruitmaster.com.hk (2016) Japanese Strawberries to purchase online @ https:\/\/www.fruitmaster.com.hk\/en\/Berries\/Japanese-Strawberries\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[4]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Japan National Tourism Organization (2016) Strawberries @ http:\/\/japan-brand.jnto.go.jp\/foods\/fruits\/3242\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[5]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 University of Florida (2016) Strawberry production around the World @ http:\/\/www.hos.ufl.edu\/protectedag\/Strawberry.htm<\/a><\/p>\n

[6]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Japan Talk (2015) 16 Ways to enjoy Japanese Strawberries @ http:\/\/www.japan-talk.com\/jt\/new\/ichigo<\/a><\/p>\n

[7]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Japan Hot Now (2013) HowTo: Tips for enjoying Strawberry Picking! @ http:\/\/jp-hotnow.com\/en\/detail\/jphn_his042.php?category=leisure<\/a><\/p>\n

[8]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Wikipedia (2016) Prefectures of Japan (map) @ https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/c\/c3\/Regions_and_Prefectures_of_Japan_%28fr%29.svg\/468px-Regions_and_Prefectures_of_Japan_%28fr%29.svg.png<\/a><\/p>\n

[9]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Japan Info (2015) 3 Yummiest Japanese Strawberry Types \u2013 From Albinos to Giants @ http:\/\/jpninfo.com\/30766<\/a><\/p>\n

[10]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Shizuoka Gourmet (2016) Strawberries: Facts & Tips @\u00a0 https:\/\/shizuokagourmet.com\/strawberries-facts-tips\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[11]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I’m Made of Sugar! (2015) I Tried \u201cskyberry,\u201d A kind of Strawberry @ http:\/\/www.immadeofsugar.com\/2015\/01\/skyberry.html<\/a><\/p>\n

[12]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Japan Info (2015) Strawberry picking in Japan: Fruit picking in Japan @ http:\/\/jpninfo.com\/7838<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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