Celebrate Valentine’s Day & Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month with sweet & nutritious winter strawberries

PLANT CITY, Fla. – Surprise your Valentine this week with something unique, fresh and nutritious – Florida winter strawberries! At the same time you can celebrate Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month.

Strawberries are the perfect treat. They’re heart shaped, ruby red, sweet, juicy and they pack a healthy punch. You can enjoy fresh berries many ways, including chocolate dipped, dropped in a romantic glass of sparkling wine, covered in whipped or fresh cream or eaten out of hand.

Giving strawberries also means you truly care about your sweetheart’s heart – and health. Because they contain lots of Vitamin C, fiber, and provide potassium, magnesium, iron, Vitamin B-6 and calcium, they are a much healthier alternative to traditional Valentine’s Day candy.

Consumers can enjoy this unique winter berries annually from November through April, when fresh-from-the-field, U.S.-grown strawberries are delivered to markets east of the Mississippi River, including the Eastern Seaboard and parts of Canada.

The Florida Strawberry Growers Association celebrates the peak of its season each February during Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month. It’s perfect timing for strawberry lovers and romantics alike. A few romantic strawberry facts include:

• The strawberry is the symbol of Venus, the goddess of love.
• In medieval times, strawberries were served at important functions to bring peace and prosperity.
• Folklore states that if you split a double strawberry in half and share it with the opposite sex, you’ll soon fall in love.
• In France, strawberries were thought to be an aphrodisiac.

Plant City, Fla., has been proclaimed “The Winter Strawberry Capital of the World.” The ideal climate and productive soils, along with dedicated family farms that have existed for many generations, provide the most locally grown and “Fresh from Florida” strawberries during the winter months.

Local growers and members of the FSGA produce about 15 percent of the nation’s strawberries and virtually all the berries grown during the winter. The commodity has an economic impact on the local community exceeding $700 million.  For more information about FSGA, visit www.flastrawberry.com.