Out Of Season

In the 15th century, French poet, thief, and general vagabond François Villon wrote I am crazy for your strawberry lips.

I fully understand the longing for this divine fruit. However, all pleasure should be consumed deliberately. Especially all fruits that are accustomed to the Swiss climate and soil should be consumed in Switzerland in their Swiss season.

I know, the magazines are already packed with strawberry recipes and deluding pictures, the shops' fruit sections are covered with strawberries, and the restaurants promote strawberry deserts. I can only beg you to bridle your desire. The strawberries, which are now in the shops, are either imported or produced in greenhouses, both by wasting far too much resources. Domestic fruits can be picked when they are ripe and the transports can be kept reasonably short. Or do you want yourself make a collaborator of the war for oil that easily?

Just as a reminder, the Swiss fruit seasons:

• Strawberries: begin of June until middle of August
• Cherries: middle of June until middle of August
• Apricots: July and August
• Raspberries: July until middle of October
• Currants: July and August
• Blackberries: middle of July until end of September
• Plums: begin of August until middle of October
• Quinces: October until middle of November.

Added later:
It's quite easy to find out when the Apricot season starts, because the prices are raised significantly. That's because it's forbidden to import Apricots during the Swiss season and Swiss fruits are more expensive without the competition.