«The best will be by the end of June»
Moscow shops and markets have begun to please the citizens with fresh berries — strawberries, blueberries, mulberries and bright ripe cherries are already available. The latter causes the most controversy among Muscovites: many are sure that it is too early to buy it in early June. Most of the berries on the shelves are imported, from Armenia or Uzbekistan, so one cannot hope for low prices either. Rospotrebnadzor urges you to wait a bit — and be careful when buying: berries may be unripe or spoiled.
in the summer, it did not arise from scratch, but now, perhaps, it is still too early – You can't call cheap June cherries.
For example, a popular delivery service offers to bring a kilogram of Uzbek cherries for 600 rubles – True, it will be impossible to choose berries before buying. In an expensive supermarket, a kilogram of cherries will cost 700-800 rubles, and in an economy-class supermarket – only 400 rubles.
The most expensive cherry – in fashionable reconstructed markets: in Usachevsky, for example, they ask for 1,300 rubles per kilo of cherries, and in Dorogomilovsky – and even more than two thousand.
There, of course, you can count on the fact that the berries will be selected and large, just perfect. But is it worth such a huge overpayment? Darker cherries, as a rule, from Uzbekistan, and light – Armenian.
Berries are most actively sold in June in small vegetable shops. The goods in them are purchased at wholesale food markets outside the Moscow Ring Road, and it is usually designed for residents of nearby houses – those who do not have the time and energy to run around the area and look for cheaper options.
– This one is more expensive, – the seller, a southern man, points to berries packaged in transparent plastic containers. – We sort this one before putting it on the counter. This will be 550 rubles. If you want 400, then I'll dial you from here…
He points to a large wooden box filled with berries. And he explains: when it comes to such a large number, it is impossible to monitor the quality of each berry, so you can get rotten, broken, and unripe.
– Of course, we work with trusted suppliers, everything should be fine. But everything happens, – he throws up his hands.
This principle, by the way, in his tent applies not only to cherries. Here, for example, tomatoes – Uzbek ones, at 720 rubles per kilo, are each carefully packed in an individual braid, and Dagestan ones, at 340 rubles, are waiting for buyers in a large box.
The seller advised, after coming home, be sure to sort out the cherries and pour, for example, into a large glass vase. It is not worth storing in a bag: it can «suffocate». In addition, according to an experienced trader, you need to pay attention to the percentage of «marriage»: no one is safe from one or two rotten berries, they can literally go bad during the day. If you need to throw away every second berry, then this is already a reason to complain.
Earlier, Rospotrebnadzor gave Muscovites advice on how to choose the right cherry in stores and markets. According to experts, the uneven color of the berries should alert. Cherry can be any shade – from yellow or pale scarlet to burgundy, – but by no means spotty. This is a sure sign that the berries were picked unripe.
Experts list the signs of the «correct» sweet cherries: smooth skin with a glossy sheen (lack of reflection indicates that the berry has been plucked for a long time), dense pulp, the presence of an elastic green stalk. “A dry, darkened stalk occurs in long-stored berries, which is likely to negatively affect their taste,” – Rospotrebnadzor instructs.
Well, the most delicious (and cheapest) sweet cherry is yet to come – its peak season is at the end of June or mid-July. So those who are not ready to spend money on Uzbek, you need to wait a little more.