Cherries

A lady of my acquaintance whom I’ll call Little Red returned from a visit to her native France with a pail of the wonderful local cherries her mother had especially requested. I think this may have been in the sixties, before metal detectors, way before American awareness of international terrorism, when just about anyone could bring just about anything onto a plane. Not cherries, however. Customs officials took one look at that pail and cut every single sweet helpless innocent little cherry in half. They found only cherry stones, of course, and allowed her to go, but only after stamping SUSPECTED DIAMOND SMUGGLER on her PASSPORT! Little Red was eventually able to get a new passport without suspected diamond smuggler on it, but the cherries were lost forever.

Perhaps times have changed. David Lebovitz reports to be able to transport dried cherries unmolested, but I recall Little Red’s sad story every year at this time, because I have endangered myself for the sake of cherries on countless occasions. Cherries in season might be my favorite thing to eat in the whole world. I like all of them; I even like to eat the really puckery sour cherries out of hand. Try these. Just remember to put a pit pot on the table.

Cherries and Green Almonds from Viana La Place

Place a bowl of cherries (any kind) and a bowl of green almonds (or plain raw mature almonds) on the table. Eat the cherries and almonds together.

Pitted Black Cherries for that Aching Midsummer Sadness

Remove stones from about a dozen sweet black cherries with your fingers or the nifty gadget of your choice. Put them all into your mouth at the same time. Grasp the possibility that the pain can end.

Further strategies at Sweetnicks.

cherries, sweet cherries, sour cherries, antioxidant-rich foods