The summer months where cherries are in season are one of my favorite times of year. Yet it also is one of the times when the contrast amongst grocers is most stark. Visit Jewel or Dominick’s, and you’ll find items called red cherries — often inexpensive ones — week in and week out. They’re OK. Visit a corner fruit market and it’s a crap shoot — sometimes they have some nice virginal fruit, and others, it’s just the same swill as the big chains.
Thus far, in my search for the best cherries in Chicago, I’d assert it’s Whole Foods who win the contest. Their cherries are always flavorful and much larger than the ones you’ll see at those other stores. They’re $4 a pound (at least this week — at times they jack it up as high as $6) — but having just returned from a Whole Foods venture, the bowl in front of me looks/smells/tastes worth it.
I’ve also found that some of the mail order firms, such as Harry & David, do offer some excellent cherries this time of year — but they are ridiculously expensive.
Anyone found another source for the best of the bunch? A farmer’s market, a local store, or heaven forbid, White Hen Pantry?