The best stone fruit varieties for preserving

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as the taste of fresh fruits when they’re in their prime. That peak of ripeness makes them an irresistible snack, often warranting a sneaky, dribbly bite before you’ve even made it home from the market. Stone fruits like glistening cherries, intoxicatingly
fragrant peaches, sweet nectarines and refreshingly tart plums are some of summer’s best offerings. And although these succulent treats lend themselves to being enjoyed just as they are, complete with sticky fingers and a juicy chin, their freshness doesn’t have to end with the start of fall. Prepared alongside complementary ingredients and stored away on your pantry shelf, you can seal in the flavour of your bounty and bring it out again whenever you’re in the mood for a freshly picked bite.

Cherries

Bing: Sweet;  dark red, firm  flesh and large. Excellent for eating  and canning 
Lambert: Sweet; dark red firm fruit
Vista: Sweet; nearly black in colour and almost  1” in size
 Early Richmond: Bright red with colourless juice. Very sour and considered only good for jams  or canning in heavy syrup
Montmorency: Sour; colourless juice; widely grown commercially
Morello: Sour; mahogany-coloured flesh and dark juice; perhaps the most widely known sour cherry type

Nectarines

Arctic Jay: Freestone;  large with pale yellow skin that has a slight red blush. Flesh is white and flavour is deep, fragrant and sweet. Best used in jams and compotes
Fire Sweet: Clingstone; bright red skin with yellow patches; firm smooth yellow flesh; rich colour
Heavenly White: Freestone; very large fruit; creamy white skin that is deeply red blushed. White flesh has full aroma and flavour
Le Grand: Clingstone; bright red and yellow skin; yellow, firm flesh that is fine texture; mild tasting

Peaches

Babygold 5, Redhaven: Yellow flesh; non-melting (won’t bruise or discolour when preserved)
Blushing Star, White Lady: White flesh;  non-melting

Plums

Damson: Wild European native. Blue skin, firm, tart flesh with less water content than other varieties. Keeps texture and shape when preserved
Greengages: Green, European-type plum; round, green or golden skinned
Santa Rosa: Golden yellow fruit
Red Heart: Large fruit, red skin  and flesh
Black Hawk: Freestone
Brittlewood: Clingstone; holds shape when preserved