The
best strawberries you will taste are the ones you pick and eat straight
from the plant on a warm day, when they are fully ripe and the
flavour-giving molecules are still buzzing with the heat of the sun. This is why growing your own is such a joy – and the pick-your-own farm
comes a very close second. After that, the best bet is to buy from
local greengrocer’s, or even roadside stalls, which in peak season
should be taking daily delivery of just-picked local fruit. Fully ripe
strawberries will keep for only about 24 hours, so eat them at once.