The family of stone fruits includes cherries, plums, apricots, nectarines, and peaches. They all arrive in the summer, though you can sometimes find imports during the off-season. Stone fruits don't become sweeter after they're picked, but growers often harvest them while they're still a bit under ripe so that they won't bruise during transit. At the market, select specimens that have the colour, if not the softness, of fully ripened fruit, then take them home and let them soften at room temperature for a few days.
Apricot: Like other stone fruit, apricots are sweetest--and most prone to bruising--when they're allowed to ripen on the tree. But unless you can pick your own, you'll probably have to make do with the slightly under ripe, more durable apricots sold in markets. They're best in the summer, July and August. You should be able to find apricots in most major stores from January until early August. Apricots should be well-formed and fairly firm, but not dull-looking, soft, brown-spotted, mushy or extremely firm. Pick apricots that are dark yellow or yellow-orange in colour. Apricots are very fragile; they should not be handled roughly. To ripen apricots, place them in a sealed plastic or paper bag and keep them at room temperature.
Nectarine: They resemble peaches, but they're sweeter and more nutritious. Nectarines are best if allowed to ripen on the tree. Unfortunately, tree-ripened ones bruise easily. So if you buy the less ripe nectarines, let them ripen for a couple of days at room temperature before eating them. This makes them softer and juicier, but not sweeter. Avoid buying nectarines that are too hard or that have green spots--a sign they were picked way too soon--or those that are bruised. Nectarines have their peak from June till September, when they are harvested in Italy, Spain, South Africa, Chile and the US. The superior freestone varieties arrive in June and July; the cling varieties that come later aren't as good.
Peach: Most of the peaches that are sold in markets are freestone, and de-fuzzed by the grower. Select peaches that are colourful and free of bruises. After you get them home, let them ripen at room temperature for a day or so until they become softer. They're best and cheapest in the summer.
Select fruits that are fragrant and soft but not mushy. The skin near the stem should be yellow or cream coloured; if it’s green, the peach was picked too early. Store the peaches in a cool place, but do not refrigerate them.
Cherry: There are three main categories of cherries: sweet cherries, which are for eating out of hand, sour cherries, which are best suited for making pies, preserves, and sauces, and tart chokecherries, which are too tart for most people to eat out of hand, but make delicious preserves.
The cherry season is short, ranging from mid May to mid August, reaching the peak in June. Sweet cherries, with the popular and exquisite Bing cherries, arrive in June and July. Other varieties have the virtue of arriving before or after the Bings, but they're often not nearly as tasty. Select cherries that are large, deeply coloured, and firm. Sour cherries don't transport well, so they're difficult to find fresh. Canned sour cherries, though, are almost as good. If you want, boost their flavour a bit by adding one tablespoon of Kirschwasser per cup.
Plums and prunes are available from May through October. The difference between plums and prunes is small. Plums are clingstone (the pit does not separate easily from the flesh) and prunes are freestone. While there are at least 125 prune varieties, most, except for Italian prunes, are grown for drying.
