Cherries

Cherries

Cherries date as far back as 300 B.C. and are named after the Turkish town of Cerasus. In the Niagara Peninsula cherries have been enjoyed not only for their luscious sweet flavour, but also for their magnificent beauty during the blossom period. There are mainly two types of cherries.

1. Sweet Cherries - firm, hearted shaped fruit that is delicious for eating out of hand or can be cooked, canned and baked. The varieties of Bing and Hiedelfingen are generally available for the month of July.

2. Sour Cherries - A smaller round and softer cherry that is too tart to eat raw. This cherry is famous for making excellent pies and preserves. Pitted pailed sour cherries are available in your area stores in mid-July.

Plums

North Americans have been enjoying this rich and colourful fruit for hundreds of years! The plum's popularity has never diminished. Yellow plums are available early in July until mid-August. Blue plums are late bloomers, arriving in stores mid-August, and lasting well into September. Plums are enjoyed for out-of-hand eating and some can be dried, such as prunes.

Varieties: Blue - Bluefree, Prunes; Yellow - Early Golden, Shiro

Selecting & Handling
Choose evenly-coloured, smooth plums that yield to light pressure. To ripen firm fruit, place in a brown paper bag and fold closed. Keep them at room temperature until they are ripe to your liking. Refrigerate unwashed fruit for up to a week. Plums can be separated from the pit like a peach - cut lengthwise and gently separate. To prepare for immediate eating, simply wash and enjoy.

Serving Hints
The prune plum is ideal for home canning, freezing or drying because it's high in fruit sugar. Plum jellies and jams make a heavenly spread. Plum sauce adds zest to a wide variety of meat, fish and poultry dishes. Brighten up salads with purple plums or add them to your cereal. Bake a plum pie or tart. Fresh with cream or ice cream, they're a light and palate-pleasing dessert. However you serve them ... plums are wonderful eating!