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Don't you tarry, it's now time for cherries

If you've been noticing the arrival of shiny mahogany-red cherries in markets lately, grab them while you can.

Their stay will be short.

"Cherries are one of the items that's still pretty seasonal in the produce department. . . . And when they're gone, they're gone," says Eric Patrick, promotions director for the Northwest Cherry Growers.

The cherries you've been seeing the past few weeks are mostly from California, which harvests the fruit earlier than growers in the Northwest.

Bing and Rainier are the names most of us associate with cherries, of course, but other varieties have appeared in the past decade as the industry tries to extend the brief growing season. So the fruit - except for yellow Rainiers with their mottled red blush - marketed by your store simply as dark sweet cherries or Northwest cherries, actually bear specific names such as Chelan, Tieton, Lapin, sweetheart or Lambert, in addition, of course, to Bing.

In any case, "Bing is still king," declares Patrick.

Harvesting of Northwest cherries begins in a few days. The fruit will start showing up in Florida markets by June 20 or so and the season runs until mid August.

The harvest is expected to be good this year, around 85,000 tons from Washington and Oregon, which produce about 95 percent of Northwest cherries. Another 3,000 tons are expected from Idaho and Utah, which are anticipating their largest crop in years, Patrick says.

Cherries are hand-picked and highly perishable, he says.

"The goal is to pick them in the morning and as soon as they are picked, to keep them as cool as possible . . . and they are on the road the next morning," he says.

Ed Johnson, president and chief executive officer of Oregon Cherry Growers Inc., a grower cooperative, said about 40 percent of his company's crop is sold fresh. The rest is processed and turned into maraschino cherries, dry cherries and ingredients for the confectionery and other markets.

Johnson says if fresh cherries are refrigerated as soon as you get them home, they should last for about a week.

Making your selection at the supermarket is simple, says Patrick.

"There's some telltale things that we look for when we are looking for the best and the freshest. A nice green stem (is one)."

The Rainier cherries have a much higher sugar content than the Bing cherry, Patrick says, which sometimes produces brown spots.

"Some people think they are a bruise," he says. "If you can get past that, you're in for a real treat."

In Florida, the state's commercial fruit and vegetable season is in the "wind-down phase," says Les Harrison of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, but community markets should have plenty to offer from smaller growers.

This is also the month that the first of Georgia's peaches start appearing. A plentiful crop is expected, Bill McGehee, secretary and treasurer of the Georgia Peach Council, says.

June is a good month for apricots, avocadoes, blueberries, cabbage, tomatoes, grapefruit, sweet corn, eggplant, okra, cucumbers, bell peppers, hot peppers, mangoes, plums, watermelon, summer squash, cherries, snap beans, cantaloupes, honeydews, lemons, nectarines, peaches and pineapples.

Seafood

For those already tired of grilling hot dogs and hamburgers, swordfish and yellowfin tuna steaks offer an alternative this month.

"There's been tremendous catches of yellowfin tuna in the gulf," says Gib Migliano of Save on Seafood. He says tuna steaks should retail for about $7.99 a pound.

Swordfish steaks, also good for barbecuing, probably will run about $8.99 a pound for steaks, he says.

Overall, says Migliano, seafood prices are expected to be low this summer. Red snapper will be the exception this month, though. Fillets probably will cost about $9.99 pound and whole fish about $4.99 a pound.

Grouper is expected to be fairly reasonable at about $8.99 a pound, Migliano says.

"I anticipate seeing prices trickle down," he says. "Production is great on everything and demand is certainly not there yet."

Crispy Romaine Salad With Smoked Turkey and Bing Cherries

1 medium head Romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup diced green onion, some green included

1 can (11-ounce) mandarin oranges

1 cup smoked turkey, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3/4 cup Bing cherries, washed, halved and pitted

For balsamic vinaigrette:

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard

1 teaspoon honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

To make dressing, whisk all ingredients in a bowl and store in refrigerator until ready for use.

For salad, toss all ingredients, except cherries, in a large bowl. Drizzle balsamic vinaigrette over salad, reserving 1 tablespoon of vinaigrette, and toss salad. Drizzle remaining vinaigrette over cherries and toss to coat.

Arrange salad on individual plates and sprinkle with cherries. Serves four.

Source: California Cherry Advisory Board.

Cherry Cobbler

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup milk

31/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup boiling water

Mix 3/4 cup sugar, butter, flour, salt, baking powder and milk together. Place cherries in the bottom of a 9-inch square pan. Spread flour mixture over cherries.

In a small bowl, combine 1 cup sugar and cornstarch. Stir in boiling water. Pour mixture over the dough. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 45 minutes. Serve warm.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 322 calories; 2.9g protein, 5.4g fat, 187mg sodium, 13mg cholesterol, 67.9g carbohydrates, 1.9g fiber.