The strawberries

In the 1920s, an Agricultural Farming Station and Agricultural Improvement Station operated in Florina, under the leadership of Ioannis Kontopoulos. Kontopoulos was a gifted research agronomist of Constantinople origin. Educated at the renowned Agricultural School of Florence, he brought with him new varieties and new methods of cultivation.
The strawberry variety brought by Kontopoulos was Madame Moutot, the most widespread variety in Europe, of French origin, first released in France in 1906. People who became close to Kontopoulos began taking plants from the nursery of the Agricultural School and planting them in the yards of their homes. The cultivation of strawberries spread quickly and extended first to the mountain villages and then to the villages of the plain.
In the 1960s and until the mid-1970s, Florina was the main source of strawberry production and a major supplier not only to the domestic but also to foreign markets. Strawberry fruit is rich in vitamin C and manganese, acids and enzymes, contains a lot of fiber, is low in calories and stimulates the metabolism! Madame Moutot is no longer a widespread variety of strawberries, but it may be a parent for some hybrids in the market.

SOURCE:
1) Ourania Lega – Panagiotalidi Agronomist, Textile Chemist MSc. Retired Assistant Professor, TEI of Thessaloniki (now International University of Greece)
2) https://www.florinapast.mysch.gr/apo-ton-kontopoylo-ston-kampo-tis-florinas
3) https://www.florinapast.mysch.gr/mantam-moutot-i-archontissa-fraoula-tis-florinas