2011 Cherry Season

[weinoo]

The 2011 cherry season (my favorite fruit, i think) is upon us. Has been upon us for a few weeks, I guess. I imagine the first cherries of the season come in to the east coast from the central valley of California.

Rainiers and another early-ripening red cherry (nowhere near as good as a Bing) seem to be the first to market. Red cherries can be had for as little as $2/lb. in Chinatown, but they're the worst of what's available. Last week I pail over $7 a pound for some mediocre, but without any spoilage like you'd get in Chinatown, red cherries.

Waiting for Bing season, I guess.

All well and good. But the big question is: Do cherries give anybody else an allergic reaction in or around the mouth and lips?

Oh, and what's your favorite cherry?

[bmdaniel]

I am allergic to trees in general (tree pollen, very allergic to pine nuts, used to be more allergic to walnuts/pecans but less so now), and I do get a small reaction from cherries (and apples).

[Pierogi]

Wow, you guys on the other coast must be getting our allotments ! I saw red cherries for the first time in the local stores yesterday, at $7.99 a POUND.

I didn't get any.

I do see in the flyers for next week's sale, though, that a couple of chains have them on special, so they must be starting to be more readily available.

I love the Raniers, but the regular old Bings are just fine too.

[heidih]

I found a half eaten cherry on my lawn yesterday so they must be around. I will be checking the farmers markets. For some reason I brought the handed down, made in Austria, cherry pitter with me to my minimalist kitchen so I think cherries will be both eaten out of hand and cooked with this season.

The bowl is porcelein/ceramic - works like a charm

[Mjx]

No allergic reaction, but since I don't like taking pits and such out of my mouth, I swallow them (oh please, it's not so strange!), which means that if I eat a lot of cherries, I do have to face certain consequences, down the line. As long as the cherries are firm and have a lot of flavour, I like them, and don't care whether they're sour or sweet; no one favourite.

[AnythingButPlainChocolate]

Proper cherry season won't be in the UK until late June sadly, as it's my favourite season. A few years ago I found a cherry tree near an old office of mine that's laiden with cherries that no-one picks and they're the best cherries I've ever had. I've been growing a handful of the pips from them every year for the past few years in the hope I can secretly plant up the cherries and get them closer to home.

As it's a wild tree I have no idea about the type, but it's a dark sweet cherry, maybe related to a Morello.

[weinoo]

No allergic reaction, but since I don't like taking pits and such out of my mouth, I swallow them (oh please, it's not so strange!)...

Yeah, it might be. Have you never heard of spitting them out?

[RWood]

We've gotten in a couple of cases of cherries where I work. We're doing creme fraiche panna cotta with poached cherries right now. They're not bad flavor wise, pretty sweet. Pale red compared to a Bing. I think they are coming in from Gilroy, but not sure.

U-pick Bings should be starting in Brentwood, CA in a couple more weeks, my mother will eat about the same amount she can pick while there .

[Mjx]

No allergic reaction, but since I don't like taking pits and such out of my mouth, I swallow them (oh please, it's not so strange!)...

. . . Have you never heard of spitting them out?

Yes, but it looks gross! My grandfather usually urged me to be as ladylike/charming as possible. Regrettably, I'm combative, contentious, and surly... not much charm or lady-like-ness going on. So, I just have to settle for being 'not revolting'.

In Denmark, there will be no cherries for at least a month, so this isn't huge worry, yet.

[mkayahara]

But the big question is: Do cherries give anybody else an allergic reaction in or around the mouth and lips?

Yup, sounds like oral allergy syndrome. Doesn't affect me, but it does affect my partner.

No allergic reaction, but since I don't like taking pits and such out of my mouth, I swallow them (oh please, it's not so strange!)

Maybe not strange, but it is potentially lethal!

[gfweb]

Oral Allergy Synd is well described to various pitted fruits and other stuff too. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_allergy_syndrome

[weinoo]

Oral Allergy Synd is well described to various pitted fruits and other stuff too. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_allergy_syndrome

Wow, that is interesting, considering I have had some acute hay fever symptoms this spring.

[Mjx]

. . . .

No allergic reaction, but since I don't like taking pits and such out of my mouth, I swallow them (oh please, it's not so strange!)

Maybe not strange, but it is potentially lethal!

How so? I remember looking into it once, but nothing suggested that it poses an actual problem. New information out there?

[mkayahara]

. . . .

No allergic reaction, but since I don't like taking pits and such out of my mouth, I swallow them (oh please, it's not so strange!)

Maybe not strange, but it is potentially lethal!

How so? I remember looking into it once, but nothing suggested that it poses an actual problem. New information out there?

I mean, it's probably not a real danger, especially if you're swallowing them whole and not crushing them. I don't balk at using small amounts of cherry pit as a flavouring, but I would personally draw the line at swallowing significant numbers of them whole. Better to look unladylike than to risk a trip to the hospital, IMO.

[Mjx]

. . . .

How so? I remember looking into it once, but nothing suggested that it poses an actual problem. New information out there?

I mean, it's probably not a real danger, especially if you're swallowing them whole and not crushing them. I don't balk at using small amounts of cherry pit as a flavouring, but I would personally draw the line at swallowing significant numbers of them whole. Better to look unladylike than to risk a trip to the hospital, IMO.

Definitely not even slightly crushed (I have the sort of teeth that crack on gummi bears, so I'm careful).

I honestly don't give the ladylike thing a thought (I can't even say I gave up on it, since it was a ludicrous proposition from the word Go), but I really do find gnawed pits and such sitting on the edge of the plate pretty revolting to look at.

[BeatriceB]

It makes me sad to think of you swallowing all those pits, which can't be good for you. If you really can't bear the sight of the pits on the side of your plate, how about asking for an extra napkin? That's not too hard to provide, whether at a restaurant or a friend's house (where a paper napkin would be fine). You could then use the extra to discreetly collect pits.

[AnythingButPlainChocolate]

Or carry an olive de-stoner and use it on the cherries before you eat them.

When I'm freezing mine I use a machine to de-pip them like this one.

[cdh]

Oh, please... cherry pits keep their cyanide well wrapped up in woody shell. If one were to swallow them, it is very unlikely that any of the poison would get out and do any harm. All this concern is like warning people against hiking because there is a chance they might cross paths with a rattlesnake.

[chezcherie]

Oh, please... cherry pits keep their cyanide well wrapped up in woody shell. If one were to swallow them, it is very unlikely that any of the poison would get out and do any harm. All this concern is like warning people against hiking because there is a chance they might cross paths with a rattlesnake.

where i live, that's a much greater danger this time of year than anything that might result from swallowing some cherry pits. on the other hand, we got an amaaaazing batch of bings (from costco. yeah, costco) yesterday. so good, the 3 lbs are gone, and there are only three of us around the house. (as far as i know, we all spit pits.) had to buy some more--not as great, but i don't do costco on the weekends, let alone a holiday weekend--to make a recipe for rhubarb-cherry jam i couldn't resist in a blog post i saw today.

[chezcherie]

just returned from iacp conference in austin, where i watched a great cooking demo/chat by jacques pepin. he said that cherry stems make a great tea, which he said is purportedly good for the kidneys, and a diuretic. he said that in france, the cherry stems are sold for this purpose. never seen that. don't know if it's accurate info, but i heart chef pepin, and found that tidbit fascinating. (he does a spot-on julia impression, btw.)