1. Strawberries are the first fruit to ripen each spring.
Because they just know we can't wait too long for their pure fruity goodness.
2. There are 200 seeds on an average strawberry.
Plus, they're the only fruit to wear their seeds on the outside.
3. Despite their name, strawberries aren't technically berries—they're accessory fruits.
While we're getting technical—berries should have seeds inside. Strawberries are really in a group of their own since they don't come from a single ovary.
4. The seeds can grow into new strawberry plants, but most instead reproduce through runners.
5. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans eat an average of 3.4 pounds of fresh strawberries every year.
If you count frozen strawberries, that number is closer to five pounds.
6. California produces 75 percent of strawberry crops in the U.S.
All over 23,000 acres of land, used just for strawberry production.
7. Stop and smell the strawberries! Considered members of the rose family, they give off a sweet fragrance as they grow on bushes.
8. Considered a perennial, strawberry plants will grow back year after year.
Although they don't always grow fruit immediately, once they do, the plants can last up to 5 years.
9. The lesser-known tabletop method of cultivation, where strawberries hang from the ceiling in containers, is gaining in popularity for its practicality.
Keeping strawberries off the ground keeps them away from pests and soil-borne diseases.
10. Ancient Romans believed strawberries had medicinal powers.
They were used to treat everything from depression to fever and sore throats.
11. Native Americans were also among the earliest people to eat strawberries.
They even introduced European settlers to the fruit.
12. There are three different types of strawberries: June-bearing, overbearing and day neutral.
But June-bearing are the most flavorful berries.
13. Don't rinse cut strawberries under water until you're ready to eat them—it speeds up spoiling.
14. May 21-27 is Strawberry Week in Delaware. And yes, it's celebrated annually.
15. There is a museum in Belgium dedicated to strawberries.
It should be at the top of any fruit lover's travel bucket list.
16. Strawberries are grown in every single U.S. state and Canadian province.
You don't have to travel far to find sweet berry bliss
