The warmth of May, as we know, relaxes and warms. The flowers, now all in bloom, colour streets, avenues and the countryside, making walks a pleasure for the eyes and, above all, the sense of smell, thanks to the lovely scent they give off.
Many of these flowers have turned into fruit, and others will do so as summer progresses, when the hot sun of July and August will give them the right ripening to be picked and eaten.
The ripe ones are ready to be served at our tables or for sale.
This is the case for cherries. The red gold of Puglia! The pride of our land! Anticipated all year round by young and old alike, not only for their versatility in the kitchen—cherries can be eaten fresh, frozen, preserved in alcohol, or used to make delicious jams to enjoy during the long winter, as well as mouth-watering tarts and cakes—they are also eagerly awaited by farmers who, after harvesting and carefully selecting them, sell them ’to the highest bidder“.
If it’s true that one cherry leads to another, there must surely be a reason why this small red fruit with its tender and juicy flesh is so irresistibly moreish.
Probably the reason lies precisely in the fact that, as well as having a very pleasant taste, cherries have many therapeutic properties: they aid diuresis, regulate the bowel and help prevent hypertension. Furthermore, they are rich in minerals such as potassium, calcium and iron, and vitamins A and C, and low in calories. Therefore, they are excellent after meals, as a snack and to refresh oneself during the “almost summer” heat.
Pugliese cherries are very famous and their export is in demand worldwide and even, according to the C.I.A. (Italian Confederation of Farmers), Puglia is the leading producer in Italy, specifically in the south-east Bari area.
The first to ripen are the Bigarreaus, ripe as early as mid-May, followed by the Ferrovies (probably the best ones) with a rich and truly flavoursome flesh, ideal for preserving in alcohol, thanks precisely to their texture.
Finally the Giorgia cherry, with a particularly red flesh and a texture that allows it to withstand handling effectively.
The harvesting of the cherries is done strictly by hand, in order not to ruin them and thus favour their sale.
Strolling through the Apulian countryside at this time of year, you can fully experience spring, the colours of the fields and trees, the scent of fruit and flowers, picking one and enjoying it on a dry-stone wall, continuing the walk and tasting another, because there is no greater pleasure, when eating a cherry, than picking it yourself in the open countryside with the warmth of the sun, immersed in the greenery and beneath the shade of a cherry tree.
“I wish everyone could hear the song of the rock partridges at sunrise, see the roe deer on the pastures in spring, the larches reddened by autumn on the edges of the rocks, the darting of fish in the clear waters of the streams, and the bees gathering nectar from the blossoming cherry trees. “
quoted. Mario Rigoni Stern .
