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A bowl of Rainier Cherries.
There are two cherry ancestors - one sweet (Prunus avium) and one sour (Prunus cerasus). Every cherry you're eating today descended from one of these wild species. Sweet cherries, the kind you might eat out of the bag before getting home, include varieties like Bing, Royal Ann, Rainier, or Lambert. Sour cherries will make your mouth pucker and water and are best when cooked with sugar and put into a pie. Varieties include Early Richmond, Morello, or Montmorency.
When picking cherries, look for firm fruit that is not bruised or cut. Avoid bags that have cherry juice on them, indicating some crushed fruit. Get them home and put them in a plastic container (it does not have to seal) and into the fridge where they should stay for 4-6 days. Wash them just before eating.
Why the price tag on cherries? Cherries, in general, are very weather dependent and disease susceptible. They bruise easily and don't ripen after picking. Even with great weather, it is a fairly labor intensive process to get those cherries to your house in great condition. Rainier cherries are even more delicate. They bruise easily and are heat sensitive - this means picking them carefully and transporting them carefully. So why would someone pick Rainier cherries over any other? Because they are so, so, awesomely sweet.
Washington State University scientist Harold Fogle crossed Bing and Van cherries (both sweet varieties) and the resulting yellow and red fleshed fruit was named after Mount Rainier. If you find yourself sometimes throwing away half a bag of cherries you never made it around to eating, consider spending the extra money for a smaller amount of Rainier that you're darn near guaranteed to finish.
If you can't get enough cherries, head to the National Cherry Festival, held in Traverse City, Michigan from July 4 - 11 this year.
Picture by Digitonin.
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what of black cherries? i never hear them mentioned as a fruit proper.
Hi, Shannon -
Black cherries are a sweet cherry - species name Prunus serotina. Hmm, but you're right - I never just see Black cherries in the grocery store. Now I want some!
-L.
Other suggestion: make your own cocktail cherries. Go to Sam's or Binny's and buy a bottle of Luxardo maraschino liqueur. Pit a whole bunch of cherries, drop them in a glass jar with a good seal (I use one with a rubber ring seal and the metal lever on the lid) and pour in enough Luxardo to well cover them. Stick the jar in the fridge for at least a couple weeks - but they'll keep in there a good long time. I've done this once a year for the last two years, and just kept them in the fridge all year.
(Note: this doesn't make the super sweet candy-like "maraschino cherries" you're used to. They're very different, and can be pretty strong if you're not expecting what's basically a bit mouthful of booze. But they're great in Manhattans!)
DNashty - Ooo, that sounds great! If I try this, I'll do a photo shoot of the steps and give you credit. :)
-L.
If you Google for "homemade cocktail cherries" or "homemade Maraschino cherries" there are some recipes that involve sugar, or making a sugar syrup and bringing the cherries to a boil in it first. I have not done that myself - might try it this year - I've always just soaked 'em in straight booze. When I made them last summer, there was still a lot of liquid left in the jar from the previous batch, I just kept it, added fresh cherries and just enough fresh Luxardo to cover again - this batch has definitely been milder in alcohol flavor as a result. So, depending on your taste you might want to add a bit of sugar.
Farmer's Markets are local treasures and a great place for social interaction and timeless traditions. The Halifax Farmer's Market opened its doors in 1750 and is the longest-running market in North America. Have a look!