Strawberry fields forever

Have you ever tasted a Swiss strawberry? If you haven't I insist you do it soon, because nothing tastes and smells like heaven, but the Swiss strawberries. The season has just started and there is more to come with blueberries, raspberries and black currants. Looking for more than a strawberry tasting I decided to visit one of the local farms in the region with my own small crate and pick up the red gems straight from the ground. Getting my hands and feet dirty was the worst that could happen, but what I was looking forward to in return was a few precious minutes in nature, nourishing my soul with the intoxicating strawberry aroma that would stay with me hopefully for the whole day and create a harmonious state of mind, after literally providing the food on my table.

I have to tell you I am not just talking marketing here: it is Tuesday morning 9 am and I am standing in my white sneakers in the immaculate Bauernhof in Hünenberg, where I am waiting  for Bernadette Boog-Isenegger to take me to the strawberry fields. It had been raining the night before and I don't know how I will make it, but at least I love strawberries and I would do anything for them. Bernadette is very kind, with warm and generous look and she is really excited, while walking me about 500 meters along the road, showing me fields of black and red currants, blackberries and gooseberries, maize, growing on the other side, asparagus and cucumber. The land belonged to her husband's family and before Bernadette moved to Hünenberg and married Edgar it has been only a milk farm. Twenty-three years ago she and her husband planted the first strawberry field. Today they grow peppers and cucumbers, potatoes and artichokes, carrots and asparagus. They have a market stand in Metalli, at the Lucerne market and in Steinhausen. They also supply many shops and restaurants in Zug. During the summer the Boog-Isenegger family hires about 50 people, mostly for seasonal work. Bernadette's and Edgar's two older sons are studying fruit and vegetable farming and they are helping in the family business now.

What I find most amazing at the Boog-Isenegger farm is the variety of fresh products that you can buy either at the shop right in front of the farm or just go for the real thing: pick them up yourself. Just before I dive into the enticing strawberry fields of Hünenberg I remind myself next weekend to come back again with my empty grocery bag instead of getting lost in the luminescent-lit and air-conditioned space of the Migros or COOP.

 
Healthy benefits of the strawberries:
Strawberries are an excellent source of dietary fiber and Vitamin C and K. They are also a very good source of manganese, pantothenic acid, vitamin B1 and iodine. Strawberries contain high levels of antioxidants. The phenols in strawberries fight against inflammatory disorders, such as osteoarthritis, asthma and atheroscleroses. Strawberries are also known for their anti-cancer properties. One cup of these red gems contains an incredible 136% of RDA of Vitamin C, an effective antioxidant that can help lower the blood pressure, ensure a healthy Immune system and ward off the development of age-related ocular deceases, such as muscular degeneration and cataracts. The potassium, the vitamin K and the magnesium in strawberries are also important for bone health.   

Tsitaliya Mircheva


You can visit the farm and pick your own berries during the shop opening times:

Monday to Friday 8.00 h - 18.30 h

Saturday 8.00 h - 17.00 h
Sunday: closed