In Season: It's almost time for California cherries, sweet and sour

If you were asked to invent a new fruit and came up with the cherry, your fame would resound down through the ages.

The ongoing process we call “nature” has done just that, and though some claim the process is blind and random, I prefer to think that genius is hidden within the natural world, and through its spinning wheel of time, throws out such miracles as the cherry.

California-grown early varieties of cherries start showing up in the Bay Area in late April to early May, not so much in stores but rather at roadside cherry stands or sold out of the back of a car or truck.

I avoid them for two reasons. First, early cherries are not the best-tasting varieties. They're bred for earliness rather than flavor. Second, sweet cherries are one of the most heavily sprayed crops and those early cherries are not usually certified organic. Conventional growers used 650,000 pounds - 325 tons - of agricultural chemicals on cherries in California alone in a recent year.

As to which varieties excel in flavor, Elizabeth Mitcham of the Department of Pomology at UC Davis said, “Most of those I have polled agree that Bing is the best variety.”

“The California Rare Fruit Growers occasionally organize fruit tastings,” said her associate, Janet Caprile, a UC Davis Farm Advisor. “They did a cherry tasting … and here are their top 10, with the most popular first: Bing, Utah Giant, Rainier, Larian, Lambert, Ebony, Black Tartarian, Garnet, Sparkle and Black Republican. I would add Brooks to the list.”

I like the fact that the marvelous Bing cherry was named for a Chinese laborer by the Oregon orchardist where the variety was first hybridized in 1875. Few remember the name of the orchardist, but everyone remembers the name of his laborer.

While Bings - and other sweet cherries - are susceptible to rot, sour cherries - also known as pie cherries - are disease resistant. I have seen pie cherry trees laden with bright red fruit sitting happily in late spring rains, unsprayed, while a nearby Black Tartarian sweet cherry crop was nearly entirely taken by brown rot.

All told, there are 900 varieties of sweet cherries and 300 of pie cherries in the world's markets. Sweet cherries are high in sugar (about 10 percent), have good stores of potassium, but - unless they are acerola sour cherries - are relatively low in vitamin C (11 mg per three ounces of fruit). The dark cherries are high in antioxidants, however.

Organic sweet cherries are mostly eaten out of hand, but they are also frozen to be sold in supermarkets, made into ice cream, used in pastries or dried. They are the first stone fruit to ripen. We get the Black Tartarian, Tulare, and Burlat varieties here in California in late April into May. Then come the so-called white cherries, usually Rainier or Royal Ann. The Bings come in during June into early July.

Cherry season always means it's time to get out the old marmalade crock I picked up at a country flea market. It has a ceramic lid that snaps closed. I fill it with 2 pounds of ripe but firm, unblemished sweet cherries. You can pit them, but I think the slight almond flavor of the pits adds a grace note to the cherries, so I don't pit them.

I add a cup of sugar to the crock, then fill it with a decent brandy, cover the top with two thicknesses of wax paper and snap down the lid. It sits on the kitchen counter for a month or two, then it goes into the fridge until the holiday season. Brandied cherries over vanilla ice cream make a fine finish to the Thanksgiving turkey. Or pit and chop them and mix into tapioca pudding. One Christmas I made cherry-vanilla ice cream with pitted and chopped brandied cherries in my Glacier. It was spectacular.

This was a familiar spring dessert in the Pennsylvania Dutch country when I lived back there. The Amish and Mennonites sure knew how to eat! One taste of this simple dessert and you'll say, “Es shmekt gut!” You can substitute plums for the nectarines.

Nectarine and Cherry Compote

Makes 8 servings

6 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons rum

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- Butter to grease baking dish

4 medium nectarines, halved and pitted (or plums)

1 pound fresh sweet cherries, pitted

- Vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, rum, cornstarch, and vanilla, then transfer the mixture to a greased (with butter) 9x13-inch baking dish.

Place nectarine halves, cut side down, in the sugar mixture, then sprinkle on the cherries.

Bake uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes, until it's bubbling and the fruit is tender.

Allow to cool to warm and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This recipe was given to me by Santa Rosa Chef John Ash. “This is a versatile, not-too-sweet chutney, a version of which I had years ago in an English pub,” Ash said. “There they served it as an accompaniment to a nutty, aged cheddar cheese and whole grain bread. I also love this with roast turkey, duck, sausages and game meats such as venison."

Dried Cherry and Apricot Chutney

Makes about 6 jars

2 cups dried pie (sour) cherries

1 1/2 cups quartered dried apricots

1 1/2 pounds tart sweet apples cored, peeled, diced

1 1/4 cups organic cider vinegar

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger

3 whole star anise

2 teaspoon whole coriander seed

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

2 tablespoons slivered fresh garlic

Place all ingredients except apples in a large, non-aluminum saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 10 minutes.

Add the apples and return to a boil, then again reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 35 minutes or so, or until mixture has thickened. Stir occasionally. Remove and discard star anise.

Ladle into hot sterilized jars, seal and refrigerate. Keeps up to three months refrigerated, or sterilize it using the water bath canning method and half-pint jars with self-sealing lids and rings, after which it can be stored in the pantry.

Jeff Cox is a Kenwood-based food and garden writer. Reach him at jeffcox@sonic.net