Perhaps, it is worth clarifying right away: field strawberries have nothing to do with strawberries. These are not even relatives, as some gardeners believe. There are striking differences in the form of leaves and berries, and in taste and aroma.
The ancestors of garden strawberries came to us from North America, and field strawberries were "born" on our lands. The leaves of the plant are complex, trifoliate, oval-rhombic in shape, dark green above and silky-pubescent below. Roots oblique, rarely horizontal. Escapes aboveground, two types (vegetative, generative). The latter can grow up to 25 cm and end in a small corymbose inflorescence with a whorl of bracts.
Field strawberries propagate mainly vegetatively. The main part of the berries ripens by the beginning of July. By the way, the fruits are not berries, but tiny "nuts" immersed in the pulp with their base. The strawberry is actually an overgrown receptacle. When ripe, it is bright red, very fragrant and sweet.
Grows in meadows, bright clearings, edges of predominantly deciduous forests. You can meet her on forest fires, clearings, at the side of the highwayroads and on the slopes of railways.
You may be interested in the fact that strawberries are divided into several types: each grows on its own territory (Far East, Western Siberia, China, European Russia, Mongolia), but they are all so similar that a person for those who do not have a special botanical education, it is difficult to distinguish a berry from the regions of Transbaikalia from a berry from the Moscow region.
Field strawberry contains a lot of sugar, calcium, iron s alts, acids, trace elements, macronutrients, oils. As a food product, the berry has been used since antiquity. It is very tasty and fragrant in jams, jams, compotes. You can make puddings and pies with it.
Strawberry leaves, harvested in spring or late autumn, dried and properly fermented, it is quite possible to replace tea, which will be much more pleasant than the one we used to buy in stores. By the way, it is not only tasty, but also useful for those who often catch a cold. If you are not very familiar with the technology of making fermented tea, you can get by with strawberry leaves cut during the flowering season (they are dried only in the shade, tied in small bunches, in a suspended state). Berries should be harvested in the morning, as soon as the dew comes down, or already when the heat subsides. They are dried, like leaves, also in the shade or in an oven heated to 40 ° C. The dried berry darkens, turning bright red.
The medicinal properties of strawberries were mentioned in ancient literature (Virgil, Ovid), and Mattsoli (botanistand a doctor, 16th century) wrote that its berries are used not only as a delicacy and food, but also have a choleretic effect, relieve thirst and fever, and help with stomach pain.
Alcohol tincture is an amazing remedy against unwanted tanning, against opacities on the cornea. Strawberry roots and leaves heal ulcers and wounds, shrink the spleen, strengthen gums, loose teeth.
Field strawberries perfectly cope with colds and even prevent them, expel stones from the liver and kidneys, and are used as a diuretic and anti-avitaminosis agent. An infusion of the leaves is able to dilate blood vessels, and therefore is effective for hypertension in the initial stage. Fresh berries (or dried and soaked) are indicated for gout, constipation, ulcers, atherosclerosis, hypertension. They not only improve digestion and stimulate appetite, but also increase hemoglobin. However, not all strawberries are useful. Sometimes unwanted reactions are possible - Quincke's edema, urticaria, itching.
