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July/August 2008

The Sweet, Juicy Treats of Summer
Savor every luscious bite. Fruit just doesn’t get any better than this. By Radha Marcum

I’d bet you can remember the last time you devoured a plump, perfectly tree-ripened peach—or maybe it was a plum. I can. It was last August, and I was lounging on the grass at the farmers’ market with my husband and our two young kids. The Colorado peach harvest was in full stride. We had selected a few warm, fuzz-covered fruits— golden orange, as if the sunlight had condensed inside their skins. They didn’t last long. It was pure, juice-dribbling bliss.

The peach is one of the most illustrious members of the “stone fruits,” also known as drupes, which include apricots, plums, nectarines, and cherries. In season from May through September, most originated in Asia. Legend has it that Marco Polo was responsible for introducing the apricot to Europe from China via the Silk Road. Cultures all along that route—from Turkey to Spain—readily adopted the apricot into their cuisine. And cherries are mentioned in Western texts dating as far back as the third century B.C.

It’s not hard to imagine why these fruits have been scrupulously cultivated throughout the centuries. There are few summer pleasures more immediately satisfying than the taste of ripe, freshly picked stone fruits. But palate pleasing aside, these fragrant beauties also pack abundant nutrients, from vitamins to cancer-fighting antioxidants.

“Yellow and red are two very good colors in food,” says Dana Jacobi, author of The Essential Best Foods Cookbook (Rodale, 2008). “Those colors tend to indicate particular phytochemicals and vitamins, such as carotenoids, quercetin, and anthocyanins.” In fact, recent research supports the idea that eating tart cherries (often found dried or in juices) I By Radha Marcum There are few summer pleasures more immediately satisfying than the taste of ripe, freshly picked stone fruits. alleviates joint pain due to their high levels of anthocyanins (red-pigment phytonutrients), which have an anti-inflammatory effect in the body. Apricots are rich in beta-carotene, the same pigment found in carrots that has been linked to eye health and cancer prevention. And peaches contain ample amounts of nerve- and muscle-supporting potassium. (Check out “Stone Fruit Vitals” for other nutritional highlights.) In general, the darker-hued the fruit, the greater amount of these nutrient superstars it contains, says Dana.

There are hundreds of varieties of stone fruits, but you won’t see many of them at big-chain supermarkets. Most of the fruits you’ll find there come from large conventional orchards that grow a single, popular variety—often one that travels well and looks appealing but that has sacrificed flavor to make it to market. Most stone fruits won’t ripen much after picking, so the farther they have traveled, the less likely they are to have the divine flavor of local sun-ripened fruit. What’s more, conventional varieties have often been bred for sweetness. Not a bad thing, you may think, but Dana begs to differ: “The sweeter fruits lack acid. Without the acid, they just don’t taste the same.”

Before you succumb to the supermarket sale, check out farmers’ markets, says Dana. “On the lowest level, at least it’s local. In addition, it’s more likely that it’ll be an heirloom variety.” Keep an eye out for flavorful heirlooms such as Blenheim apricots or mirabelle plums. And be aware that conventionally grown nectarines, peaches, and cherries typically have high pesticide residues, so buy organic whenever possible.

If any of your favorite stone fruits make it back to your kitchen—without being eaten purely for their own deliciousness—there are a million and one ways to use them to enhance summer cooking. “Stone fruits are very versatile,” says Elizabeth Karmel, executive chef of Hill Country restaurant in New York City and author of Taming The Flame: Secrets for Hot-and-Quick Grilling and Low-and-slow BBQ (Wiley, 2005). “Add extra sweetness (a glaze, such as jelly thinned with champagne) and they become dessert; chop and combine with savory ingredients (such as fireroasted poblano peppers) to turn stone fruits into savory salsa. They can go either way.” For starters, try Elizabeth’s grilled stone fruits (see “How to Grill Stone Fruits” on page 66).

“The fresh, ripe fruits have such an incredible flavor,” says executive chef Roger Freedman of Jackson Hole’s Rendezvous Bistro, Q Roadhouse, and Il Villaggio Osteria. “They really can be used in almost any recipe.”