What a wonderful time of the year this is. Juicy strawberries are ripening in the sun, farmers are harvesting the last of this year’s asparagus, new potatoes are being dug up and all the soft fruits are beginning to mature, so are the cherries. There is absolutely no reason why we shouldn’t be eating our daily recommended five fruits and vegetables in abundance at the moment.

Although all these fruits and vegetables are available in supermarkets, packed in plastic bags and neat little plastic boxes, they are also available at Oxfordshire’s pick-your-owns, farm shops and farmers’ markets.

By picking your own, if you don’t have a garden or an allotment, you are guaranteed a freshness second to none. Freshly picked strawberries have a glow that no pre-packed strawberry can match, they have a gloriously fragrant aroma too, and if eaten within seconds of being picked, while still warm from the sun, they have a luscious mouth-watering taste that simply can’t be matched. While you won’t find any “two for the price of one” offers at the pick-your-own, you will find that the fruits you harvest have a far longer shelf life than those bought pre-packed, as they haven’t spent a day in a packing shed and another day being transported across the country.

In other words, they are as fresh as they possibly can be — not a single vitamin is lost if they are eaten immediately — surely that must be good for our health?

You will find that apart from strawberries, most pick-your-owns will also have spinach, peas and broad beans ready to pick now, and bunches of carrots, spring onions available, too. Fresh garlic will be ready soon. Early cropped garlic has a far milder flavour than garlic harvested later in the year and dried — making it possible to add raw to salads for extra flavour.

Summer carrots are really lovely, offering a completely different flavour to the mature carrots that see us through the winter. Cooked simply in boiling salted water to which a spoonful of honey has been added, they are superb. You don’t really have to peel them — just a quick scrub to remove some of the earth is usually enough. Young spinach leaves are useful too as they can be added to your salads, or thrown into a stir-fry at the last moment to add a splash of colour and extra taste.

Baby beetroot should be making an appearance soon too. If you buy a freshly harvested bunch of beetroot from the pick- your-own or farm shop you should find that the leaves are still crisp and fresh. Don’t throw them away. Cut them off as soon as you get home, pack them in a plastic bag and store in the crisper, using them as you would spinach as an extra green vegetable. They are delicious, but must be eaten within a couple of days as they wilt quickly.

If you peel your beetroot before cooking it, its dark red colour will bleed out of the root — best to boil them as they are, rubbing the skin off with your fingers once they have cooked. I often wrap them in tin foil and bake them whole in the oven alongside a roast for about an hour. They can be grated raw into a salad too.

The Oxfordshire pick-your-owns offering the best of summer vegetables include Millets Farm Centre, in Kingston Road, Frilford. Here strawberries can be picked from raised tables, which is particularly useful for those who find it difficult to bend down to harvest them. Millets boast that they are growing at least 30 different kinds of summer crops this year, including runner beans at the end of the summer.

Peachroft Farm, Radley, has asparagus, strawberries and other soft fruits, as well as vegetables and new potatoes. The advantage of visiting Peachcroft is that while there you can also call in to the award-winning Wells Cheese store, which is located on the farm, and stock up with other goodies.

Medley Manor Farm is found down Binsey Lane, just off the Botley Road. You will see their colourful Strawberry sign on the left hand side as you approach Oxford. Here you can pick different varieties of strawberries, soft fruits and a glorious assortment of vegetables, including spinach. Bunches of carrots and beetroot are available, artichokes too. It is a glorious place to visit.

Q Gardens, Milton Hill, near Steventon, is where you go to pick your cherries, which should be ready to harvest within the next few days. A full range of soft fruits and vegetables is also available, with plums, apples, pears and pumpkins becoming ready towards the end of summer.

Rectory Farm, Stanton St John, is just north of Oxford, off the A40, turning off at the Headington roundabout and following the signs. There’s a well-stocked farm shop here, and acres of pick your own produce. You name it – they grow it.