Strawberries have been sighted at the Crescent City farmers' market in New Orleans, LA, the Westlake farmers' market in Austin, TX, markets in San Diego and Santa Monica, CA, and in markets all over Florida. The word ripe is the most important one there is when talking about fruit. And farmers' markets provide your best chance for finding ripe strawberries. A good strawberry should never be judged by size or shape. The very best I've had have been smallish and lumpy.
Scent is the operative word here.
There should be a sweet little cloud of perfume hovering within several feet of a ripe basket of berries. When you get berries like these, you may not want to do anything but eat them one by one. On the other hand, any strawberry dessert you make will be truly memorable. When you get your berries home from the market, lay them on a clean towel and keep them in a cool place until you're ready to use them. Dip the berries into a bowl of water, return them to their towel to dry, and then remove the cores.