Pineberries

[opsec]

http://thenewschronicle.com/pineberries-summer-wait/040104130/

This sounds interesting. I'd like to get my hands on seed for this.

How would you like your strawberries just like strawberries, but smelling and tasting like pineapples? Oh, and the color’s completely backwards as well.

That’s exactly what pineberries, as the British have begun to call it, are. They’re becoming quite the delicacy this summer season, and it’s exactly as advertised: strawberries with the taste of pineapples.

The fruit was first discovered in the South American wilds, and was supposedly saved from extinction by Dutch farmers.

[Lady Lilya]

My parents have been growing those on their front stoop for years.  They are ridiculously productive.  They start around March and go until after several frosts.  They produce and produce and produce and produce. 

If you want, I can see if they will mail you a few dried out ones in an envelope and you can try to grow them. 

[Atash Hagmahani]

I'd like to try to grow them.

[opsec]

Yes, please. Send me a handfull and I'll send some to Atash. I might even be able to grow them out of a large pot here in Vegas and raise them for seeds.

[The Future]

pls sign me up.

[Lady Lilya]

I'll ask them about it when I talk to them next.

I should have suggested this when I lived near them and could have done it myself.

[Wellspring]

I also would love some. I only see seed available in UK.
Maybe u could send some to Atash - he can send some to me, I can send some to Future -

Thanks

[Dame]

Yes please.

[Lady Lilya]

My parents said yes, they will dry me some strawberries and mail me some.  They said that the last 2 weeks their plants have had a surge in production, and they can't keep up with all of them.  (Keep in mind they have them in an 18" square planter, yet still feel overwhelmed.  These berries grow fast.)

So, now it is just a matter of waiting for them to get around to it.

[Dame]

Thank you.

[opsec]

Fantastic. I thought I was going to have to wait until next season for these.

[hippiechick]

I'd love a start also please!!!

[Lady Lilya]

Like I said, they keep producing almost all year long, with a short break in the worst part of winter.  Maybe where some of you live they won't take a break at all. 

[The Future]

seeing we don't take a break from eating....i am digging this already!!

[The Future]

It seems these are strawberry hybrids.  One UK newspaper wrote:

"...Back in the real world, there have been a number of white strawberry varieties around for hundreds of years. This is one of them. It doesn't taste anything like a pineapple, it tastes like a sharp - and quite unpleasant - strawberry...."

Being a hybrid, there are hundreds of possible variations...

The most trusted source on the internet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineberry) indicates these are smaller than strawberries and low yielding.  If a sweet high yielding one is around, a cutting would be the way to propagate but I'm always game to grow things from seed....