Is It Safe To Eat Strawberry Leaves?

When you eat most common berries, like blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries, all you have to do is wash them and pop the delicious, jewel-like fruits in your mouth, with no trimming or cutting necessary. However, many folks stem strawberries before eating them. But what happens if you skip that step and eat the leaves too? Well, not only is it perfectly harmless, but it's environmentally conscious, too, since you'd be eating something you normally throw away.

The leaves are essentially just edible greens, and they have some nutritional benefits. They contain nutrients like vitamins A and C, and they're a source of fiber. They're also anti-inflammatory and rich in polyphenols, which act as antioxidants in the body. In fact, you can find the dried leaves sold for tea, a traditional herbal remedy that may help with stomach and digestive upset.

Be sure to wash the leaves well under running water to get rid of any dirt or debris, opting only for those that are fresh or completely dried. It's also a good idea to buy organic strawberries if you can, since they're among the fruits and vegetables that tend to carry the highest pesticide residues.

With safety addressed, the next questions to ask about eating strawberry leaves are: What do they taste like, and what can you do with them? As you might expect, they have a green, herby flavor, similar to that of raw leafy vegetables. However, in a Reddit thread, many folks said they don't taste like much of anything. "Not flavorful, but not bothersome," one user summed up.

Try using the leaves the same way you might use herbs, like in a salad, as part of a parsley and lemon pesto or chimichurri, or blended into a smoothie. If you're cutting them off your strawberries with a knife to eat separately, a piece of the fruit usually gets lopped off with them. You could put those tops, including the leaves, in a pitcher of water to flavor it, or do the same thing with a liquor like vodka or light rum, letting it infuse for a couple of days. Other ideas include using the cut-off leafy tops to make a fruity agua fresca, or cooking them with water and sugar to make a strawberry syrup you can stir into drinks or pour over vanilla ice cream.