CHERRIES ARE IN SEASON
I want to do to you what spring does with the cherry trees.
~Pablo Neruda (1904 – 1973)
OOOPS!
On June 1st, I posted information about identifying GMOs. Reading UPC codes on fruit is the way to distinguish Conventional, Organic and GMOs at the grocery store. Unfortunately, I got two of them mixed up so I’ve corrected that page and am listing it here:
- ORGANIC 5-digit#, begins with 9.
- *GMO 5-digit#, begins with 8.
- *CONVENTIONAL 4-digit#, begins with 4.
Just an example of not adequately researching on the www through multiple sources. Not good to trust just a single resource. I’m hanging my head in shame, believe me.
CHERRIES!
Get ready to run to the green market because cherries are making their appearance and you’ll want to stock up on those tiny fruits of the orchard from the same genus as the plum, the apricot and the peach. There are bright red cherries and deep ruby-colored cherries, and the bright ones seem to appear first. The very earliest cherries are often double – that is two cherries that seemed to be joined at the hip. Be careful when eating them: they often have two seeds that seem to be softer and have an annoying habit of splitting while you’re trying to eat the cherry. I always seem to bit down on them, then they splinter. I’d avoid them, if you can. But if that’s all they have. . . .
Both light and dark are sweet – unless they’re sour – when picked and eaten at their peak of ripeness. I bought some yesterday and was surprised at the freestone quality of the pit. The fruity flesh just slid away, making expelling the seed a breeze which is what you want in a cherry pit. I’m adding them to the brandied fruit jar.
Here’s a tip I discovered when eating strawberries that were picked too soon: a tablespoon of heavy cream does wonders for improving the favor of fruit that isn’t quite up to snuff. Fruit has wonderful antioxidant elements, as well as vitamins and fiber, so I’m not likely to throw it away, even if it’s not the sweetest and juiciest. You never really know how good fruit is until you taste it; sometimes you get the goods and sometimes you don’t. Anyway, cream works great on most any non-citrus fruit. Or kiwi. Or pineapple. Also, a sprinkling of cinnamon or nutmeg enhances the flavor, if enhancing is needed. But buying fruit from the green market – rather than the supermarket – will give you fruit that will delight your taste buds.
Begin buying fruit, and eating it every day, even multiple times a day. So good as a snack anytime: before meals, after meals, during meals. With fruit you can’t go wrong, as I never seem to tire of saying. Try it. You’ll be hooked and it will be no downside. Discover what combinations you like best. Summer is fruit season. Rejoice and be glad in it!
