The cherries in my mother’s cherry pie came from cans. These cherries had long forgotten their lives on the tree, and likely spent far more time sitting in their tins than in the fresh air, but I certainly didn’t know any better at the time. My mother always went for tart, grayish cherries canned in their own juices, not the glossy neon red version packed in so much jelly-like syrup.

Imagine my delight that first summer I planted myself in the Pacific Northwest and found a mature cherry tree planted in my backyard. Perched precariously on a branch, I’d pick all the little red fruits I could reach, leaving only the very top of the tree for the birds.

My fresh cherries (Bings as I later found out) were the complete opposite of their canned cousins: They were bright, crisp and so sweet it’s impossible to imagine adding even the slightest bit of sugar. Unlike the sour pie cherries found further east, my Northwestern cherries earned the Sweet Cherry moniker. These cherries screamed to be eaten straight from the bucket, still warm from sunlight, with a handy spittoon-bowl beside for the pits.

That sweet season is surprisingly short, and soon I realized that my homegrown Bings simply wetted my appetite for more. With the simple sweetness of the Bing in mind as a starting point, I wanted to see how other varieties differed, and how many weeks I could extend my cherry-eating season.

It’s really the dark mahogany Chelan variety that ring in the beginning of the fresh cherry season, baring severe weather conditions. If winter hangs around like it has this year, farmers drench the trees in water to create an ice barrier, or hassle with wind machines to keep warm air gently circulating to protect their fragile crops. When everything goes well, the Chelans start hitting their peak ripeness one to two weeks earlier than Bings. These smaller cherries are lower in acid and brightly sweet, but still hold their flavor in baking.

Following close behind, the plump and blushing Rainier is always best served fresh. Mark Barrett of Barrett Orchards in Yakima literally cherry-picks his trees: A Rainier tree is likely to be picked up to five separate times through its brief two-week season, to collect only fully sun-ripened cherries. They are so big that a single fat cherry fills your mouth and makes you reconsider whether cherries really are the smallest stone fruit.

Washington produces some 4,000 tons of Rainiers each year, and despite the fruit’s delicate nature, most are shipped out of state and end up lining grocery counters in Japan and Taiwan, where they are highly prized (and accordingly priced).

Lapins, a variety of the semi-sweet Lambert cherry found in the Okanogan, follow Bings by about a week with their dark, shiny firm fruit. The Lapin holds up to shipping better than most sweet cherry varieties, and are often exported. The flavor is more complex than a Bing—it’s still pure cherry, but with a hint of acidic bite.

The almost-black Skeena appears next, with a mellow sweetness and just a hint of port. Late in the summer, the Sweetheart’s tangy heart-shaped fruit fills the tables at the farmers’ markets and signals the end to the season. It’s about that time when I start squirreling some away for a mid-winter treat.

While it’s not quite the same as popping a sun-warmed cherry straight off the tree and into your mouth, come January, a frozen cherry is better than none. Simply remove the stems and pits (a special cherry pitting tool comes in handy for this), and lay the cherries out on a flat baking tray. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until the cherries are firm. Then, remove the tray and carefully bag the frozen cherries. Frozen cherries work beautifully in baked goods, or even better, in ice cream or sorbet.

Still, it’s more fun to take advantage when the time between tree and mouth can be under a day. Toss them into salads, wrap them in puff pastry, dip them in chocolate, and use them to top this savory/sweet focaccia. Best of all, perch yourself on a comfy branch and pop them directly into your mouth.

Lara Ferroni is a Seattle-based food stylist, photographer and recipe writer. More of her words and images can be found at her popular food blog cookandeat.com.

Find Lara's focaccia recipe right here.