Summer in Michigan means lazy days, weekend family outings and the sweetest fresh strawberries you can imagine. Strawberries are grown in every county in Michigan, and are indigenous to every major continent except Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Strawberries are one of the most widely distributed fruits in the world.
The strawberry, a member of the rose family, is unique in that it is the only fruit with seeds on the outside rather than the inside. On average, there are 200 seeds in a strawberry. Strawberries were first called strewberries because of the way they grow, strewn among the leaves of the plant. The ancient Romans believed that strawberries alleviated symptoms of melancholy, fainting, all inflammations, fevers, throat infections, kidney stones, bad breath, attacks of gout, and diseases of the blood, liver and spleen. To symbolize perfection and righteousness, medieval stone masons carved strawberry designs on altars and around the tops of pillars in churches and cathedrals.