Life is just a bowl of cherries
Don't take it serious,
Life's too mysterious
You work,
You save,
You worry so
But you can't take your dough
When you go, go, go
Lew Brown
I know it's a cliche but how can I help it? A bowl of cherries is so beautiful it's hard not to get romantic, poetic and downright lyrical about them.
The cherries pictured above are Rainier cherries and are very crisp and sweet. Actually almost 25% sweeter than other cherries. They also cost 3-4 times the price of other cherries. They are expensive because they are fragile and have to be picked and stored with care as they bruise easily. But now is the season and you may find a deal on them like I did at the 4th Ave and Geary Farmers Market. I think I paid $2.50 a pound.
Though cherries date back to 300 BC and a town in Turkey called Cerasus, the Rainier variety has only been around about 45 years. Like the mountain it's named after, it comes from the state of Washington and is a cross between a Bing and a Van cherry, both red sweet varieties. Not surprisingly it is grown only in the Pacific Northwest.
Rainier cherries should be kept in the refrigerator and eaten within a few days of purchase. And eat them out of hand, don't bother cooking or baking them, they are too precious for that. Just eat them and enjoy Summer one delicious bite at a time...
