Think of them as sunshine encapsulated in plump, perfumed orbs. Sun-ripened, they emit the sweet scents of summer, embodying long lazy days and evoking images of sticky juices running from fingers to elbows at backyard cookouts and picnics in the park.
Drippy and delicious, sumptuous stone fruits are quintessential summertime delights. Even their appearance—globes of gold, orange, crimson, and hues in between—epitomizes the warmth of the sun. So-called because of their center pit, or stone, which houses their seed, stone fruits are nature’s desserts.
Lucky for us, they ripen in waves all summer long.
Sweet cherries arrive early, in mid to late May, and are available through June and July. Sour, or pie, cherries overlap with apricots in July and August. Peaches and nectarines are ready mid-July through September. Plums cap the season in August and September.
Try to pick a favorite.
“There’s such a diversity of flavors and textures across stone fruits that it’s very difficult,” says Washington State University horticulture professor Matt Whiting (’01 PhD Hort.). He focuses on whole-tree physiology, high-efficiency orchard architecture, mechanization, pollination, and environmental control of fruit quality—mostly for sweet cherries.
“I do find myself drawn to the more acidic cherry cultivars,” Whiting says, such as the firm, strongly flavored, mahogany Cowiche, developed at WSU’s Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Prosser and released in 2007. “It’s a huge piece of fruit, high in sugar, very juicy, and very acidic. It’s just fantastic,” Whiting says. “Another one of my favorites is Kiona,” also a large, dark sweet cherry developed at WSU.
The problem is finding them at the grocery store. Unlike apples, which are marketed by their distinctive varieties, “there are some 20 to 30 cherry varieties that get marketed as dark sweet cherries,” Whiting says. “Depending on the time of the season, you’re going to see totally different cultivars with completely different flavors and textures. I think it’s a problem for the cherry industry. It leads to customer confusion. It’s like selling Granny Smith one week and Fuji another week under the same name.”
Nevertheless, sweet cherries dominate Washington state’s stone fruit crop, covering about 40,000 acres. In fact, Washington state is the country’s top sweet cherry producer, followed by California and Oregon. But sweet cherries, which rank among Washington state’s top 10 crops, are the exception. The rest of the state’s stone fruit crop, Whiting says, “is really small, even shrinking, because there’s so much volume coming from California.”
California leads the country’s peach, plum, nectarine, and apricot production, which overall are all experiencing dips. At WSU, “our work reflects the industry,” Whiting says. “So our stone fruit research focuses on sweet cherries.”
Still, he did some work on peach rootstalks earlier in the 2000s to help growers transition to higher-density orchards and more efficient production systems. “When you don’t have size-controlling rootstalks, you deal with larger trees. You have to plant them farther apart, and the canopies are harder to control. They require ladders for harvest, which, in general, is much more challenging with larger, low-density trees.”
All stone fruit is relatively thin-skinned, bruising easily. That’s another challenge. “The harvesting process is delicate. So is sorting and packing. You have to pay more attention than apples, pears, even cherries,” Whiting says.
Some Washington growers are finding a profitable niche by going organic. “Our climate is well suited for organic stone fruits,” Whiting says. “Climate-wise, Washington has an advantage over California. We do have challenges with spring frost and winter cold damage. Stone fruits tend to be more susceptible. That’s why apricots are not really grown in Washington any longer. But if you can get through the spring frost, our milder summers produce better, high-quality, beautiful stone fruits.”
Apricots are problematic because they bloom as early as February or March, when cold weather can prevent effective pollination and frost damages flowers or young fruit. Per McCord, who leads WSU’s stone fruit breeding and genetics program, is making some apricot crosses, but the work is still in its early stages. He’s also running a small variety trial for peaches and nectarines in western Washington to see how they adapt to the cooler marine climate. But his focus is developing new varieties of sweet cherries.
There are two kinds of stone fruits: freestone and clingstone. The flesh of freestone fruit separates easily from the pit. The flesh of clingstone fruit clings stubbornly to the pit. They’re ready to eat when they are soft, succulent, and juicy—not squishy—and smell fruity and floral. Their aromatics are intoxicating, particularly peaches and nectarines.
Low in calories and high in dietary fiber, stone fruits are rich in antioxidants, potassium, and vitamins, especially C. Botanically known as drupes, they are perfect for fresh eating, perhaps paired with vanilla whipped cream or homemade ice cream. Chop them up and mix them into salsas. Use them to top summer salads, morning cereal, pancakes, waffles, or crepes. Cook them into compotes, jams, or preserves. Blend them into smoothies. Bake them into upside-down cakes. Drizzle grilled peaches or nectarines with balsamic glaze and serve them with pork chops. Make cherry clafoutis or a stone fruit trifle or a rustic galette. The options are almost
endless.
All of Washington’s stone fruit is prized for its sweetness and flavor balance, which the Washington State Fruit Commission credits to the region’s unique microclimates and ancient volcanic soils. Fruit that ripens on the tree builds sugar content, making the fruit that much sweeter and flavorful.
“People expect high-quality stone fruit from Washington growers,” says McCord, who recommends shopping for stone fruits at farmers markets. His favorite? “It’s a toss-up between cherries and peaches. My favorite way to eat them would be fresh. For apricots, I like them dried and also canned. I’m also a fan of pie.”