Weather Permitting

Early Summer Fruit. And a Late Frost.

by JUDITH MARA

strawberries

Our favorite strawberries are not the gigantic berries you fi nd year round in grocery stores. We love the small, dense and red-all-the-way-through strawberries that local farmers grow across the country. Our favorite variety to search for is the Alpine strawberry (fraises des bois) because it is tiny, juicy and packed with sweet fl avor.

cherries

Even though there are over 1,000 varieties of cherries, there are two major types: sweet and tart (sour cherries). Everyone knows what to do with juicy sweet cherries––pop in your mouth and spit out the pit. But what about tart cherries? About 4 cups will make a fi ne cherry pie and some splendid jam. But a real treat is to dry them. Take any amount of pitted tart cherries, simmer them with 2 cups of sugar and water for 20 minutes, drain and place in a dehydrator or 165˚F oven for 3 to 4 hours.

We admire our local, small farmers in more ways that we can count. And their dependency on Mother Nature to cooperate is just one reason why they deserve our heartfelt respect and gratitude. Sadly, the fruit belt across the Great Lakes area including Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York State, and Ontario severely felt her wrath this spring. An early heat wave in March, then an extended period of cold weather and a late April frost to boot, nearly wiped out the entire fruit crop. Hardest hit appear to be cherries, apples, peaches and plums. Michigan grower Peter Klein of Seedling Fruit claims to have lost 80 to 85% of his apple and peach crop, more of his pears and a bit less of his cherries. Lucky for midwest farmers market patrons, his strawberries, blueberries and raspberries fared a little better.

So while you’ll see some early summer fruit still fi lling fruit stands, it is hard to predict just how scarce a Michigan apple is going to be come September. We’ll let you know…

blueberries

Blueberries are considered to be a superfruit with a list of health benefits too long to mention here. So it is good to know that blueberries freeze well for future use. Wash the berries and pat them very dry. Spread them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze them for about 3 hours. Quickly transfer the frozen berries to a freezer bag and lay flat in the freezer to store.

watermelon

Just when the searing heat starts kicking up dust in Texas and other hot southern states, watermelons make their refreshing appearance. How to pick out a ripe one? Thumping it with your hand may tell you if it “sounds” juicy, but a better way is to look at its underside. A ripe watermelon should have a creamy yellow spot from where it laid on the ground and ripened in the sun.

raspberries

Odds are you won’t find raspberries at farmers markets in areas that have high year round temperatures. But in the East, Northeast, Midwest, North and on the West Coast, they are plentiful starting in late June and July. Raspberries come in rich colors of red, purple, black and gold, with gold being the sweetest.

apricots

cantaloupe

Eighty-two percent of apricots grown in the US are dried. So if you are lucky enough to fi nd some fresh apricots at the market, enjoy this rare treat. You can nibble them like you would a peach, or you can be inventive. Any tart, jam, cake or pie recipe that contains peaches or nectarines can be substituted with apricots.

How to select a ripe melon? Sniff it. If it smells sweet, then it is ripe. If you are not eating a melon right away, don’t buy it ripe. Let it sit at room temperature for a couple days, and when you smell a fragrant aroma you’ll know that it is begging to be eaten.