Northwest Cherry Growers
The Bing cherry was named for a Chinese worker
on the farm of Henderson Lewelling, who developed
the variety, now the most popular.

Bring on the Bings

Cherries are Bing business. Ain't no Bing thing, bruddah. Bing-a-ding-ding.

Now that we are on the brink of cherry season, you could waste many moments thinking up ways to misuse the word Bing. Or not.

Better you should go out, buy cherries and eat them. It's a short-lived season, maybe six weeks long, so act fast.

Prime time for cherry quality and price will be mid-June, but the first crop is in stores now and prices are starting to drop: Daiei, $1.98 a pound; Safeway $2.19; Foodland $1.28 with Maika'i card ($1.89 without). Times is selling two 1-pound boxes for $5.

A cup of cherries (about 21) has 90 calories, no fat, cholesterol or any of that bad stuff. They are a good source of vitamin C.

Select cherries that are firm, plump and shiny, with a nice red color and green stems. Keep them refrigerated.

Cherries can be frozen up to 12 months. Remove them from the freezer 30 minutes before eating; don't thaw completely.

Best way to eat cherries is straight out of the bag. Well, you could rinse them first. But if raw just isn't good enough, try this relish. Similar to mango chutney, it pairs well with fish, poultry or any type of meat.

Fresh Cherry-Orange Relish

1 cup cherries, pitted and halved
1 orange, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup each sliced jicama and sweet onions
1/4 cup Anaheim pepper, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon each salt and grated lime peel
2 teaspoons lime juice

Combine ingredients, refrigerate 1 hour. Makes 2-1/2 cups.

Approximate Nutritional Analysis, per 1/4 cup serving: 25 calories, 0.2 grams fat, 107 milligrams sodium, no cholesterol.*

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By Betty Shimabukuro, Star-Bulletin