Rutgers Scarlet Strawberry was bred to grow well in NJ’s wide range of soils and to withstand the dramatic swings in NJ’s climate. It was produced for consumers interested in the best tasting strawberries when picked and eaten fresh from the farm. Rutgers Scarlet is sweet, balanced with just the right amount of acidity. There is no need to add sugar, an important trait in an era when grocery store strawberries often lack real taste. The Rutgers Scarlet is also a beauty. It keeps its strawberry red color throughout, with no white middle.​​​​​​​After over a decade of development, field trials, and taste tests, Rutgers has released its first patented strawberry in 2015. The Rutgers Scarlet strawberry was shown to perform exceptionally well in multiple categories:It clocked in with a high Brix rating, which assesses the sugar contentIts sweetness is nicely balanced with its noticeable tasty acidity, enhancing the strawberry’s rich flavor and giving it depthIts size was good; the yield is good to moderateIt’s color is a “very nice” red – throughout, contrasting with the hard white center of many commercial varietiesGood berry and leaf disease resistance to pests and disease, even in variable weather which is problematic for such fruit