Instructions
It’s the moment that defines my summer.
Not the swarms of the sticky black flies, nor the smell of Reef Oil lathered all over English backpackers on Manly beach, nor even the intermittent thwack of leather balls flying off willow bats at parks around the country.
It’s that first cherry stain on my good shorts.
Every year it’s the same. As the weather warms up and the cherry season starts again in earnest, I am drawn vampirically to my local fruit shop desperate for the new blood of this plump red fruit. And soon, like a vegetarian Dracula, I am stained with the sanguine flow of slain cherries. Down my lips, past my chin, on its inexorable journey towards my lap.
Cherries are the most colourful member of the prune family, making them relatives of apricots, peaches, almonds and plums. The season begins in November and will carry through until February. The best cherries, however, arrive just before Christmas, making for a merry (if messy) Noel.
Do yourself a favour and spend the money on a good cherry pitter. There are several styles available from homeware and kitchenware retailers, and it will make cooking with cherries far more enjoyable. Actually, come to think of it, it’d make a great Christmas present to give that person for whom you just can’t decide what to get.
And there’s even great health reasons for getting stuck into the cherries. They are a rich source of melatonin, the chemical produced by your pineal gland that regulates sleep, inhibits depression and plays an integral role in preventing heart attacks. Talk about a super-food!
Oh, and when you’re staring down at your new shorts, despondent about the incriminating stain that bears witness to your naughty obsession, worry no longer. Flush the stain with boiling water, then sponge with a little rubbing alcohol and launder as soon as possible. Or you can wear your stain as a badge of honour that proclaims the coming of summer and the bounty of the harvest! I usually do.
Marinated cherry napoleon