Pineberry
White strawberry...and you'd thought you've seen it all
A Pineberry is a hybrid fruit which means it has been genetically breaded from two other fruits. It has been made up of a Fragaria chiloensis, (the beach strawberry) which originates from South America and the Virginia strawberry which originates from North America. Both are part of the strawberry family. However it is said that they taste closer to a pineapple than a strawberry. The pineberry is best known for its peculiar colour as it is white and part of the strawberry family making it a white strawberry. A pineberry is smaller than a common strawberry, measuring between 15 to 23 mm. When ripe, it is almost completely white, but with red "seeds". The plant is disease resistant, but is highly priced, although not very profitable due to small-scale farming, small berry size and low yield. The first commercial cultivation occurred in 2010 in the Netherlands and Belgium. Pineberry has been marketed to restaurants, bakeries and wholesale markets in Europe and Dubai. The berry was named "pineberry" for the UK market where it became available in 2010 The primary commercial cultivar is owned by strawberry breeder Hans de Jongh and the pineberries are sold by VitalBerry BV in the city of Made, Netherlands. Their supplier is Holland’s Beekers Berries who grows them in very large, commercial glasshouses. While the fruits are generally referred to as “pineberries,” the German word meaning pineapple strawberry. Pineberry plants are grown just like regular strawberries are grown, with one distinct difference. To produce the largest possible crop of the distinct white fruits, it is necessary to have a pollinator strawberry in close proximity. For every four plants, it is best to have one regular strawberry plant for pollination purposes. Pineberry seeds can be bought online and grown in a suitable environment. This year why not try something new with one of Crocodile Trading’s wide range of polytunnels to view our range follow the link below.