"Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did."

Dr. William Butler, Sixteenth-century physician and author

Do you remember eating fresh strawberries as a kid? Remember how the juice would stain your fingers (and your clothes!) after eating just one? Remember how intensely sweet the flavor was? 

Now, think back, did you eat those fresh strawberries in January? You probably didn't if you grew up in the U.S. Locally available produce was once restricted to a growing season, a term unfamiliar to many kids today. If you wanted a strawberry in January you had to make due with frozen berries. Otherwise, you counted the months and the days until strawberry season arrived, and you could gorge yourself on the sweet berries once again. Today, it seems we have lost track of local growing seasons due in part to advances in cold storage, transportation and genetic engineering. We've become accustomed to getting anything we want, anytime, anywhere - if we are willing to sacrifice taste and texture. You can eat 'fresh' strawberries in January, but they look and taste nothing like the fresh strawberries we ate as children. Oh, I must admit those Jurassic strawberries are tempting - giant, shiny, red beauties calling from the produce section. I wish they tasted half as good as they looked.

In many parts of the U.S., June marks the start of strawberry season. For me, a fresh strawberry lover, it's time to get excited; the long wait for real strawberries is over. If you share my passion for fresh strawberries, find out when your season begins. Then determine the best place to purchase them. If you're ambitious, you can pick your own. If, instead, you prefer to enjoy the fruits of another's labor, seek them out at your local farmers' market. You may even find them at your big-box grocery store. However, if, like me, you are in pursuit of locally grown varieties, be sure to read the package carefully. Last summer I found packages of strawberries from California at my Midwest grocer while the farmers' markets were brimming with fresh, local berries.