The pineberry is a white strawberry with red seeds. However, it gets its name from its distinctive flavor. If you bite into a pineapple, you taste a fusion of pineapple flavor and strawberry flavor. This unique feature has opened the door for it to be sold in the UK as a kind of novelty fruit in Waitrose supermarkets.
The original stock from which the now marketed pineberries were bred was brought from France to the Netherlands, where the plants were selectively bred until greater health and vigor were noted. Once the plants gained strength, they were recruited for commercial berry production.
While there was some confusion when the fruits were initially announced to the public, those questions have since been allayed.
What hasn’t been made clear, however, is whether the pineberry will become as popular as the regular red strawberries that are ubiquitous in late spring and early summer. It could, but there are several obstacles standing in its way. For the pineberry to become a force to be reckoned with in the produce aisle or farmers markets across the United States, these issues must be addressed:
1. Pine berries are small.
2. Pine trees give small crops.
3. The stock of pineapple plants is limited.
4. Pine berries are unknown in the United States.
5. Pine berries have a mild flavor.
Items 1, 2 and 3 can be resolved by selective and intensive breeding. The typical red strawberries available for sale in stores across the country haven’t always looked like they do now. Today’s strawberries are the result of more than a century of crossbreeding and careful selection. These processes have caused the plants themselves to produce larger and tastier strawberries. The process is slow, but the same can be done with this new kid on the block.
When the pineberry gains more recognition, they will almost certainly find a niche market in the United States. Until then, the culinary attraction that this berry has will remain only with those people who know about its existence, acquire plants and grow their own.
And, for point 5, as new varieties of pineberry are cultivated and bred, the flavor profile of the different berries is going to be an interesting phenomenon. The pineapple and strawberry flavor may increase. May decrease. The sugar content can be increased leaving sweeter berries. And, through playback, performance is also likely to increase.
So, in summary, it’s important to understand and keep in mind that the demand, profitability, and availability of the pineberry have a ways to go before they appear on grocery store shelves. These economical traits will make or break the pineberry.
But you can still enjoy them. Try to find a source that sells the plants or the seeds. Plant the seeds or strawberry plants. Water the seeds. Watch the plants grow from small shoots (or plants) to mature fruit-bearing plants. you will be glad you did. While some reviewers say pine berries taste completely watered down and gross, most people like them. If that trend increases, who knows? You might even be planting commercially purchased pineberry plants within a year or two!