The small strawberries (from 1/2 inch to less than an inch in diameter), which are white and covered with red seeds (achenes), have the same genetic make-up as the common strawberry.

Pineberries are available for a brief 4-5 week season beginning in April. The question is: Where can you get them? This most special of strawberries is only grown in Holland.

If you’re in England, head to Waitrose, the upscale supermarket chain, where they will fly off the shelves.

According to Waitrose, the berry originated in South America as a wild variety of strawberry. It was threatened with extinction because it has a low yield per plant and smaller sized berries. Seven years ago, when Dutch farmers began growing it on a commercial level in greenhouses. They begin life as green berries (like regular strawberries), then become slightly white instead of red.

Pineberries are tiny cultivars of the common strawberry. Photo courtesy Waitrose.

Use them as you would any strawberry—a dessert garnish, a cupcake topping, They are a feast for the eye, so it would be a shame to blend them into smoothies.

“As the summer unfolds we won’t be surprised to hear that our customers are inviting their friends over for pineberry pavlovas, punch or serving them up with yoghurt, ice cream or heavy cream whipped cream for a lighter alternative.”

STRAWBERRY TRIVIA

The strawberry is the only fruit to carry its seeds on the outside.

There are 200 seeds on the average strawberry. Each of these seeds has the genetic potential to become a new variety of strawberry since no two seeds are the same. This is how plant breeders develop new varieties of strawberries.