Taste: Sweet Cherries

What they are: They’re not the artificially rosy maraschino cherries found in too many cocktails, nor are they tart pie cherries. They’re just deliciously sweet, messy-to-eat cherries.

When to find them: Mid-June is prime time for local cherries. It’s also the one time of year to find Starkrimsons, a cherry very similar in flavor to the Bing. Check out the offerings from Landisdale Farm and Kauffman’s Fruit Farm at the Fair Food Farmstand in Reading Terminal Market, or pick your own at Chester County’s Highland Orchards or Bucks County’s Solebury Orchards.

How to pick them: Look for large, plump fruit with bright green stems. The deeper the color, the sweeter the cherry.

How to use them: Fold them into ice cream, toss in salads, or chop for chutney. But they’re best eaten straight.