In Season, But Just Barely: Fresh Cherries

I was sitting at my desk today, writing another story about gas prices when a co-worker walked up to me with a mysterious bag of fruit.  As I leaned over to take a look, I was struck by its glorious contents- fresh cherries!

Lots of people have never tasted the sweetness of fresh cherries.  If you’ve only had the neon red ones that come in a jar you are missing out because real, fresh cherries are like little bites of summer. Maraschino cherries are so syrupy sweet, it’s almost sickening.  They’re fine in things like amaretto sours where the sour mix balances out the sweetness, but the idea of sitting down to a summertime snack of what’s in that vacuum-packed jar just makes me ill.

So instead, I recommend fresh cherries. One of the nicest parts is that they come with their own handle: the stem, however, they do have pits.  If you ask me, lots of great foods come with pits: olives, peaches, apricots; so it’s worth it.  There’s even proper etiquette for eating food with pits.

In America, cherries generally hit their peak in June, but they are super sweet and delicious right now.  In stores, you’ll find them in a variety of shades from a yellowish orange to light red to a red so deep it’s almost purple.  Try them all because they each have their own unique taste.  They can be expensive, but when stored in the refrigerator they will stay fresh for about a week.

So go buy a bag or two before they’re out of season.  You can sit on the porch, partake of their sweet goodness and relish summer’s last few weeks. Summer’s officially over September 22.

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