Totem Strawberries
By: Anonymous

About

Firm, conic red berry. The most disease-resistant berry. Excellent for freezing. Fruit is ripe when very dark red. Very cold hardy.

Information
Translations: Totem Zemenes, Totem Braškės, Totem Căpşuni, Totem jagode, Totem dâu tây, Totem Truskawki, Totem Aardbeien, टोटेम स्ट्रॉबेरीज, Totem Morangos, Тотем Клубника, Τοτέμ Φράουλες, الطوطم الفراولة, 토템 딸기, Totem Jahody, Totem Stroberi, Totem strawberries, 草莓图腾, Totem Freses, Totem Jagode, Totem Jahody, Totem Fragole, טוטם תותים, Totem Jordgubbar, Тотем Јагода, トーテムイチゴ, Totem Fraises, Totem Erdbeeren, Totem Jordbær, Totem jordbær, Totem Fresas, Тотем Полуниця, Totem Mansikat, Totem Ягоди


Physical Description
Firm, conic, bright red berry. Totem is the hardiest, most disease resistant berry. Unfortunately the fruit turns very dark when ripe and the stem tends to fall off easily when picked.
Colors: red


Tasting Notes
Flavors: Sweet
Mouthfeel: Juicy
Food complements: Sugar, Bakery goods, Nuts
Wine complements: Champagne, Coteaux-du-layon white dessert wine
Beverage complements: Iced tea
Substitutes: Other strawberry varieties, Raspberries


Selecting and Buying
Seasonality: may, june, july, august, september, opctober, november
Peak: july, august
Choosing: Fresh without blemishes and firm, not mushy.  Smaller ones are usually the sweetest.
Buying: Grocery stores, farmer's markets.
Procuring: Totem will do well in the coldest climate a strawberry can tolerate, except it blooms early which could cause poor fruit set on the first picking. Totem does not tolerate alkaline soils well.


Preparation and Use
Strawberries are eaten raw, used as an ingredient in many salads and desserts, and are also one of the most popular flavorings in candies and other sweet products. 
Cleaning: When preparing, keep the leaf cap attached as long as possible. The strawberry can be washed with a light spray of cool water and then allowed to reach room temperature before serving. Leaving the cap attached as long as possible keeps the berry from absorbing too much water, while warming the berry up to room temperature enables to berry to provide the best flavor possible. 


Conserving and Storing
When storing fresh strawberries, refrain from washing them until they are being prepared for serving. Keep the berries refrigerated and if possible, place a layer of paper toweling between either layer of berries. 


Social/Political
The Totem strawberry originated in Canada.  Totems have become the leading variety of strawberry grown in Oregon today.
History: The variety was created in Canada in the 1970s.