by Danielle Katz

Culture Editor

            Are you growing tired of snacking on apples and bananas every day? Have oranges lost their appeal? (No pun intended.) Never fear: a new fruit is coming to town. The pineberry, named for its sweet and succulent pineapple-like flavor, has finally hit American grocery stores and will be a trendy new way to satisfy that tropical fruit craving.

            A cross between the wild South American strawberry and the North American strawberry, the pineberry differs from its cousins in that it actually grows lighter in color as it ripens. In fact, a pineberry at the peak of ripeness is snow-white with red seeds—essentially an inverted strawberry.

These strange-looking berries originally grew in South America before being saved from extinction by Dutch farmers. They have been sold in Britain since last spring, but this is the first year that they will likely become commercially available in the United States. Their late arrival in the US is due to the fact that they are not yet grown here on a large scale, and their fragility makes them difficult to import.  Americans with a hankering for these odd-looking “albino strawberries” must resort to ordering the seeds online and growing them in their own gardens.  However, demand for the designer fruit has escalated to the point that its American debut is inevitable.

            Why are people so eager to get their hands on pineberries? With an entirely new fruit in the produce section, the possibilities are endless. Fruit salads, pies, and jams will all take on a new flavor and appearance. “Pineberries offer our customers the chance to add a new fruit into their diet, and the berry's bright appearance can add an unusual decoration to sweet dishes. As the summer unfolds we won't be surprised to hear that our customers are inviting their friends over for pineberry pavlovas or punch, or serving them up with yogurt for a lighter alternative,” said Nicki Baggott, an employee at a British supermarket that sells the berries.

            If your mouth is already watering for a sample of this novelty fruit, it is important to plan ahead and act quickly; pineberries are in season for only five weeks, from April to May, so catch them while you can!

(Sources:  Strawberryplants.org, Daily Mail Online, ABC News, NOTCOT)