Summertime sweetness: Choosing the best strawberries for your palate

Strawberry season starts in May and ends in July. That's when they taste the best. They are sweet, juicy, and incredibly aromatic. However, it all depends on the variety. How do you choose sweet strawberries? What should guide your choice? We've prepared a short guide that will surely help you with your shopping.

May is the month when the first summer fruits make their debut. We delight in rhubarb and the inaugural strawberries in May, which we wait for all year round. You can find them at stands, markets, or stores, though the imported ones are the most common. However, such strawberries might not taste as good.

To select sweet strawberries, inspect the fruit. They should be firm and deeply red. If they are whitish or green, it indicates they are still unripe. Such strawberries are watery and lack flavour. If you're looking for sweet strawberries, inquire about the variety with the vendor. This is a crucial tip because not every strawberry is naturally sweet, even when ripe.

Which varieties are the sweetest? Lambada is the queen of sweet strawberries. The fruits are incredibly sweet and juicy. They are perfect for jams, juices, and preserves. You can find them only in June, as they are among the later varieties. In the middle of the season, look for varieties such as Daroyal, Sonata, Polka, and Rumba. Just like Lambada, they are very sweet and juicy but not watery. They are suitable for eating raw as well as for incorporating into cakes or preserves.

The mentioned varieties become available in the middle of the season, in the second half of June. Don't want to wait that long? Several sweet varieties are among the early strawberries. Kent, Honeoye, Alba, and Donna are notable examples.

In May, varieties such as Christine, Gigant, and Elsanta also emerge. These varieties aren't as juicy or exceptionally sweet. They are softer and noticeably tart, making them suitable for baking and mousses, e.g., cakes and desserts.