It’s a Cherry Jubilee at the Farmers’ Market

Spring is in the air as new fruits arrive at the Mar Vista Farmers’ Market. While several farm stands have had cherries for two weeks already, these tasty treats are popping up in more displays this week as spring progresses. 

I stopped by a brand new booth at the market, Summer Harvest Farms, which comes to us from Dinuba near Fresno.  Being the farm’s first week at the market, the vendor was excited to share details about its new crop of certified organic Brooks cherries. 

While most of the vendors are selling their cherries in pre-measured cups, Summer Harvest lets you grab them by the pound.  You can take some of their first harvest home for $5.75 a pound. The farm also will be offering organic tomatoes, apricots, nectarines, pluots, plums and grapes this spring and summer. 

According to the Specialty Produce website, the Brooks cherry is a hybrid of a Burlat and a Rainier cherry.  When they are fully ripe they are comparable to Bing cherries in quality and flavor. The website also states that these cherries have a well-balanced sweetness that are highly regarded for superior firmness and fruit quality.

Not far from the Summer Harvest booth I found Gama Farms serving up cherries in containers of two different sizes.  Just down the way, I spotted another cherry display at the Avila Farms booth. Avila is in its third week of offering organic cherries in either small or large containers.  Rancho Padre’s farm stand is also in on the action. The vendors told me that their Brooks cherries are the first to come off the tree, and as the season goes on they will also be offering Tulare and Rainier varieties as well. I also saw a beautiful display with two types of cherries at Arnett Farms, available by the pound. Prices at these vendors range from $3 to $5.

Cherry season lasts until July, so we have only a short time to enjoy this bountiful fruit at our farmer's market. Besides eating them straight out of the bag (after washing of course) with a bowl close at hand for the pits, there are many ways to enjoy this spring cherry season.  Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Flathead Cherry Compote is a sweet combination of cherries, rosemary, balsamic vinegar and sugar. It’s a simple recipe that will wow your guests.

As the weather warms up, smoothies are a great way to enjoy cherries. Try this Banana Berry Cherry Smoothie recipe for a refreshing treat.

Of course, no cherry discussion would be complete without a Classic Cherries Jubilee recipe. It uses orange juice and zest, and is served over ice cream.  Use caution when setting it ablaze, but enjoy the applause that follows. 

If you need help pitting your fresh cherries, this video from Gourmet.com offers a surprising tool for the job. As for nutrition, cherries provide Vitamin C and Vitamin A as well as calcium and iron, so however you decide to enjoy cherries this spring, just know that you’re get valuable nutrition along with all that great taste.

Christy Wilhelmi is well known to many local Mar Vistans as The Gardenerd. Her website and blog at  www.gardenerd.com offers  information on classes, consulting and food-garden design.

Be sure to follow Mar Vista Patch on Twitter and "Like" us on Facebook