Worth It

"I'm going to put a $100 bill on the table if it means more of these," said my husband. I looked over at him to determine the source of such exuberance coming from a guy who is usually rather soft-spoken. We were just finishing our dinner meal and the mound of pits on his plate explained it all. Cherries, and not just any cherries. I had served Rainier cherries. They are golden yellow with a rosy blush and even sweeter than Bing cherries. And for someone like my husband who has a sweet tooth, they are certainly one of his favorite fruits. The only thing not to love about these cherries is the cost. They are often double or more the price of Bing cherries and are not always as readily available. 

My husband does not do the grocery shopping so he is at the mercy of my purchases. When Rainiers start appearing in the store I usually stall out when I see the price. Knowing how much he loves them, I eventually break down and purchase a few, hoping he will not push the issue. That never happens. He always asks for more and I always reply, "They are so expensive. They will just have to be an occasional treat." This dialogue has been going on for years until this year when he decided to remove all barriers and throw in the cash. No cash actually changed hands but I have been a little more generous in my cherry purchasing decisions. 

We are certainly enjoying the cherries but more than that, we are in the feast season of fruits. Apples and oranges will have to wait until the clutches of winter grab us again. Now is the time for the berries, melons, plums and other juicy goodies. 

Fruit also keeps us humble. We may think we know how to pick out the perfect watermelon as we thump them and listen for a hollow sound, check for a creamy yellow spot on the underside and feel the heft of the melon, only to cut into it and discover a pale flesh with lackluster taste. Cantaloupe can be even more deceiving. The sniff test is recommended as well as applying gentle pressure to the stem end, checking for a slight give. Sometimes this works but just as often the melon is either crunchy or so ripe it is ready for fermentation. 

Bright red strawberries can also lure us into a purchase with their ruby color and promise of juicy sweetness. Sometimes they are very good and other times, there are fuzzy babies hidden in the center of the container ready to contaminate the rest of their container mates. And some strawberries are just plain crunchy and will never be close to juicy. Raspberries are even riskier. It seems that I have a twelve hour window from their purchase time to eating time or I have a moldy mess on my hands. 

Yes, fruit can be risky business and expensive, too. But, for those of us in the upper plains, it is time to eat away. Soon enough we will be back to apples and oranges and of course, none of us wants a bad case of scurvy.