They’re the size of a thimble and softer than the typical strawberry.
What they lack in size, they make up for in flavor.
Alan Chambers, a UF researcher, discovered last year that the Alpine strawberry was able to grow in South Florida by successfully testing 16 different types of the species over Florida’s winter growing season in Homestead.
This year, just in time for National Strawberry Day on Wednesday, he will be able to take his research to the market, Chambers said.
Alpine strawberries are difficult and costly to ship compared with normal strawberries, so they aren’t sold in supermarkets, Chambers said.
“It only takes a berry or two before you get hooked on them,” said Chambers, an assistant professor of horticulture at the Tropical Research Education Center at UF.
Chambers said the Alpine strawberries are also distinct for their color variety. The berries grow in two colors: whitish-yellow or red.
The do-it-yourself process to grow these fruits is easy for home gardens and local growers, Chambers said. A person only needs to plant their strawberries indoors during the hot summer months before transferring and harvesting them outdoors during the winter season.
While Alpine strawberries are new to the state, they’re popular in Europe, said Michael Wellik, owner of The Strawberry Store LLC, where Chambers bought his seeds from.
A 4.4 ounce container of the fruit sells for $12, which is about four times the cost of normal strawberries, Wellik said.
“They have tremendous value,” Wellik said. “That’s what people don’t understand. The Alpines are gourmet strawberries.”
Because Wellik’s store is one of the only U.S. businesses to carry Alpine cultivars, most of the U.S. market is supplied by European growers, he said.
In the future, Wellik and Chambers would like this growing season to be the start of a future market for Alpine strawberries in Florida
“It would give our growers an opportunity to produce something unique and delicious,” Chambers said. “That’s what got me hooked on them.”
Alpine strawberries are tiny, soft and tasty. A UF researcher discovered a species that can grow in South Florida.
