The above is from the Weekend Australian.

Note the last line from a second generation cherry grower.

He knows his fruit.

  

What this means is, the cherries you buy in winter, those from the USA, will never taste as good as the cherries this season, right now, from the farm down the road. Why? Because by the time they get here from the US, they are well past their prime.

Same goes for cherries from Adelaide.

And, even then, if the retailer down your street does not refrigerate them, they will collapse before you get them into yours.

Now, back to taste, every so often, someone will say the best cherries ever come from Tasmania, or Budapest, or Helsinki. 

Here are three things to consider:

- variety. There are over 1000. At least one will suit your pallet and you may have been lucky and eaten that one in Helsinki. My favourites: bing, lapin, stella, van, sumleta.

- soil. Like all stone fruit, the cherry tree likes a good soil.

- time of year. you may have eaten an early variety, or a late.

- the season. Some are good, some are bad.

The cherry is a fragile fruit.

Good luck in choosing yours.

A view from the Long Table Lunch: Manjimup Bridgetown Times, December 18, 2013

MANJIMUP
DECEMBER 14,
2013.

IN a remarkable victory local boy, Adam "Winner" Buckley, spat 11.9 metres to win the annual GlobeVista Australasian Cherry Pip Spitting Championship of the Entire World.

Normally a spit of 11.9 might get you second place but not this year.

With the temperature at a bone melting 39.9 degrees Celsius it was always going to be the toughest, the meanest, the most battled hardened and it was no surprise to the locals who have long hankered for a Buckley win.

In the past Buckley always spat well in the heats, always made the final, then, in the face of onslaughts from bigger men, New Zealand men, and women from down the road a bit, he could never pip the pip at the post and make it a winner.

Little did we know that he was saving himself, building for the hottest battle of all time. He was like Alan Border, chipping away in a fading team, waiting for the arrival of perfect conditions, then, BANG SPIT POW, the ashes were his, the cherry was his.


There was good competition from the Land of the Long White Shroud, Mike "Thunder Tongue" Wardill, spat his best but had buckly's against Buckely.

The Wardills did not go home empty handed, however, as the young Wardill, Bob "Surprise Package" won the under 15 event with a spit proving he may well be a champ of the future.

If you were asked to pick the winner of the women's spit you would quickly reply: Jo "Perennial" Perry. And you would be right. In fact, she spat so well this year she went straight into the final against all comers.

One of the pleasing aspects of the GlobeVista challenge is the increasing number of overseas champs willing to put their reputations on the line. This year's comp featured the Hong Kong Open Spitter, the national champ of Estonia and some bloke from France who spat more like an Englishman clearing his throat.


Here he is, the man they call "The Winner".

In other news, there were plenty of cherries on hand for all comers and many left town full and flush and knowing they would be back next year.

In the timber park on the Saturday night Todd Johnston showed he has lost none of his rock and roll charm and despite a rough and tumble in one corner, the vest majority of punters in attendance danced until their legs gave out.

Harvey Giblett's Newton Orchards once again hosted the Longest Table Lunch ever and the affable Simon Klopper arrived in his helicopter and whisked away more than one damsel never in distress.

THE GLOBE VISTA AUSTRALASIAN CHERRY PIP SPITTING CHAMPIONSUIP OF THE WORLD

MANJIMUP

December 2013.

THIS year's festival will be blessed with the spitting prowess presence of the current New Zealand Champion Michael "Pulp" Wardill.

In 2012 Michael spat the Aussie Champ Clint "Dark Cloud" Thompson in the grand final in Cromwell, a town forever to be known as a shadow to holiday central, Queenstown.

It was a remarkable comedown for the Dark Cloud because to win in Manjimup he had to spit a blood red pip over 20 metres, or 15, or 10, no-one was counting on the day.

Rumour has it that the Pulp Wardill has been spitting timber mill off-cuts to toughen his mouth for what he believes will be his toughest test since he played for the Otago Under 12s in the South Island junior rugby grand final in 1923.

Or was that 1983?





The three winners from 2012:
Jo "Perennial" Perry, Kieran "Big Bucks" Grant and Clint "Dark Cloud" Thompson.

This year's event will be bigger than ever. In the crowd you will see politicians, celebrities, people you love, people you never thought you'd see again, and people who will pretend they don't know you.

You want facts?
You want detail?
This is not the page.
Go here: Manji Cherry Harmony Festival.