From Lamberts to Lapins to Rainiers and Bing, there are more than 500 varieties of sweet cherries, and almost as many tart or sour ones. But only around 20 varieties are used in commercial production. A typical cherry tree produces about 7000 cherries. Most cherries bought at the market are eaten raw, alone or accompanied by other fruits.
The fruit is a drupe, known as “stone fruit” because of the hard pit surrounding the single seed. There are over 2000 varieties of peaches in the world. Two well known cultivars are white and yellow fleshed peaches which both carry a delicate aroma and a velvety skin. The flesh of a peach should have a slight give, but use your whole hand and not your fingertips to check.
In appearance, culture and care, the nectarine is almost identical to the peach. Nectarines are in fact a type of peach. Every once in a while, a peach tree mutates and the gene responsible for the fuzzy skin is turned off, and out comes a smooth skinned nectarine. Nectarines are succulent and aromatic but have a “zing” aftertaste and are crunchier than peaches when ripe.
Apricots, another relative of the peach, have a milder flavour, softer texture and relatively lesser water content compared to peaches and plums. A number of apricot-plum hybrids, such as the plumcot, Pluot, and Aprium have been cultivated. Refrigerating apricots will dramatically impair their ripening process. Leave them out at room temperature until they are ripe, then refrigerate them.
The flesh of a plum is firm and juicy and its taste ranges from sweet to tart. The fruit’s peel is smooth, with a natural waxy surface that adheres to the flesh. The plum is a drupe, meaning its fleshy fruit surrounds a single hard seed. A dried plum is known as a prune.
