One bite into the local in-season strawberries, I’ve decided I cannot go back to the imported- California strawberries.  As with any fruit, sugar content and sweetness increases as the strawberry ripens.  The moment a strawberry is picked, it stops ripening. California strawberries are picked before they’re ripe so that they last the long trip to Canada without going mouldy. That’s the reason they remain hard and bland tasting.