These days we know to start buying them as soon as the German strawberries are out (don't be fooled by the Spanish berries that show up in stores a month sooner--they are not nearly as tasty).
We have tried to explain the deliciousness of German strawberries to other Americans. Inevitably, unless they have lived or traveled here and experienced it for themselves, we are told something along the lines of "oh yeah, we do 'pick your own', they are so much better." Which is the moment we know they are just not going to understand. We've had "pick your own" stateside, many times, and they are quite a bit better than the standard grocery store variety, but they do not hold a candle to the sweet deliciousness of the German variety.
I have a friend in the agriculture business. He tells me that in the US we have bred our berries (and other produce) for size and longevity, whereas in Germany they have been bred for taste. I can believe it! German berries are generally fairly small, and you are lucky if they last two days, in a fridge. To be safe, you need to eat them the day you buy them.
For five years, we have been in too much of a rush to devour them to make anything else with the strawberries. Today, Marika and I finally Americanized them, combining the best of both worlds. We baked some light and fluffy shortbread biscuits, whipped up some fresh cream, added just a touch of sugar to the berries and had the best shortcakes to ever grace my table. Ambrosia! Food really does not get better than this.
If you are ever in Germany when the strawberry stands are out, do yourself a favour and stop and buy some. Do it on your first day, so you can keep doing it every subsequent day.
--Hadley
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