Fussbucket

by Stacey

Okay, this has nothing actually to do with parenting, but right now, as we speak, the cherries are among us. Especially here in Washington State, you can’t shake a stick without hitting someone selling bursting pints, pounds, and bags full of the most delicious cherries. (Of course shaking sticks at people is not okay. Sticks should be pointed towards the ground or they’ll be taken away.)

This afternoon I sat with my eighteen-month old son Sascha eating a bowl of cherries. We have a gadget that pushes out the pits, but leaves the cherries intact. Sascha ate cherry after cherry. With the dark red juice running down his chin, he’d kick his legs in glee and yell at me whenever I’d eat one, pointing to himself. I tried to explain that our state is swimming in these things, but he wouldn’t listen.

I thought to write about the cherries when I saw this article in the LA Times on cool recipes that feature cherries.

By now, with California’s cherry harvest reaching its end and reinforcements arriving from the orchards of Washington and Oregon, we’ve grown happily accustomed to the pints of Rainiers and Tartarians, Bings and Queen Anne’s, filling the market pints like big, ruby marbles. Maybe we’ve loaded them into cobblers and muffins, and now need a little inspiration — nothing too fancy, but recipes with a slightly unexpected spin.

The article offers recipes for whole-grain bread with cherries, cherry relish, and cherry and apricot fruit salad. The one I most want to try is the relish.

Make a quick relish of chopped cherries — Bings or Tartarians or any ripe red cherry — red onion and yellow bell pepper. Add a splash of lemon, another of balsamic vinegar. Then stir in fresh minced tarragon: The faint anise flavor of the tarragon is an unexpected note. Pair the easy chutney with grilled meat or chicken — or duck, which is sublime with cherries.

Yum. What’s your favorite local food your area these days? We are passing through asparagus and onto corn. I love summer.