There are many who give into the temptation of buying strawberries really early in the season…say February or March. Perhaps their enthusiasm is spawned by a desire to shake off a long winter…something food marketers are only too happy to nurture. And by the time the real season fully blossoms, the urge to eat strawberries is muted and replaced by other summer fruits - which by the way, have not quite reached their peak either.

Too bad!

Yes, the strawberry season is coming to a close with only 1-2 weeks remaining. But the fresh local strawberries currently available throughout Switzerland are a reward to those who have patiently waited for the taste of a real strawberry. They are highly aromatic, full-flavored, richly colored and filled with healthy vitamins and antioxidants.

They just don’t last long.

A really fresh strawberry will maintain flavor, aroma and nutritional value for about 2 days after harvest. Obviously, this limits your available sourcing options to local markets or harvesting your own. 

Most vendors at the market will have a nice selection of fresh strawberries, which include two different varieties. The Pegasus strawberry is a hybrid, which has only been in existence for about 30 years. It is large and deeply colored, with a sweet aromatic flavor and mild acids. The smaller and lighter colored Elvira strawberry is more acidic and highly aromatic. Both varieties are also commonly found in the larger supermarkets…but, they spend a few more days in the distribution system before they hit the shelves.

Patient shoppers will also have a look around the market and try to find smaller vendors who primarily sell products they grow themselves. This strategy can be beneficial when looking for different strawberry varieties. There are an estimated 300 types of strawberries grown in Switzerland, with varying degrees of shapes, colors and aromas. So if you see something different, then by all means go and investigate further.

Many of the interesting (and flavorful) varieties will have a noticeable pineapple-like aroma. These are well worth finding. Try and sample one before you purchase. A good balance between acidity and sweetness is a positive characteristic to look for. Supermarket hybrids concentrate mostly on sweetness, and after a day or so, the berries will develop an unpleasant starchiness. Try to choose strawberries which are brightly colored and plump. The green cap should still have a bit of the stem attached, and there should not be any soft or shriveled parts (especially around the cap). Don’t wash the berries before you plan to eat them, and keep them stored on a paper towel in the refrigerator.

Another alternative when looking for late season strawberries is to search for some last minute opportunities to pick your own fruit. We recently stumbled into a great strawberry field near the small town of Rikon in the Canton of Zürich (near Winterthur), and spontaneously gathered over 2 kg. of unbelievable strawberries (plus a few more we munched in the field) and paid around CHF 10 for the effort. A small price to pay for a food memory which will last a life time.

There are plenty of strawberry fields throughout Switzerland, which means plenty of chances to get out and pick your own. If you do go out and search for a field, be sure and bring along your own crate. Many fields will have some container available for spontaneous visitors, but they are limited. When harvesting your own berry, be sure to keep about 1-cm of the stem attached and only harvest the really red ones. Some fields will also ask you to pick any moldy berries you see and place them in a separate container. Mold on berries spreads quickly and can damage an entire plant relatively fast. And remember…fresh strawberries only last 1-2 days. But I’m guessing they won’t last that long after tasting them…

Tip: The farm we visited in Rikon is called Tösstaler Erdbeeren. They don’t have a web site, but they do have a telephone number to call, which will have the latest picking information (only German): 052 383 1237.