San Mauro Torinese Wild Strawberries | Definition
S. Mauro Torinese wild strawberry is one of the many varieties belonging to the species Fragaria Vesca L., herbaceous plant belonging to the family Rosaceae.
The edible part is represented by the thalamus, becoming fleshy and rich in sugar and scented substances, which is its fruit. The cultivar has bright red fruits when they are ripe, with a diameter of 1-1.5 cm.
It is a woodland strawberry that was anciently produced cultivating plants coming from the woodlands of Collina Torinese area. The current cultivation method implies the transplanting in tunnel in August and September, leaving some rows with no mulching, in order to enable the production of stolons among the rows, giving origin to the new plants. The hills of the areas between S. Mauro T.se and Rivodora are cool, rich in organic substances and, therefore, ideal for the cultivation of the wild strawberry. The harvesting goes from mid-April to late June, with an assessable production of 1.5 q every 1,000 plants.
The characteristic features of this wild strawberry, with a nice size, a rather regular cone-shaped fruit, bright red color which according to the seasonal trend can become opaque or dark, a fleshy and scented pulp, a sweet and delicate taste, make it particularly suitable and appreciated in the production of fruit salads and confectionery. This give producers the possibility to have a greater markup with respect to the bigger and more commercial varieties.
Every year, at the end of may, the Strawberry Festival is held in San Mauro.
- Production Area: Municipalities of Collina Torinese.
- History: The famous San Mauro wild strawberries comes from the Canavese area, since the plants used to be found in the moor regions along river Orco, especially in Bosconero.
According to the documents, the inhabitants of S. Mauro started to cultivate strawberries in 1706, after the authorization issued by Duke Amedeo II, who in this way wanted to made up for the damages suffered by the crops during the siege of Turin. As a matter of fact, up to that moment, strawberries had been exclusively cultivated in the royal gardens of Stupinigi and Racconigi. (see Remo Grigliè, Invito alla collina torinese, Edilibri Andrea Viglongo & C. Editori, 1968). In the latest 30 years there has been a reduction in the number of farmers which, together with the increase of the labor costs, has led to a reduction in involved areas.
- Legislative Protection: San Mauro Torinese Wild Strawberry is classified among the "Traditional Agri-foodstuffs of Regione Piemonte", according to art. 8 of the Legislative Decree 30th April 1998, n. 173 and the Annex to the Decisions of the Regional Council 15th April 2002 n. 46-5823.
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