Nectarines

Which fruit ripen after they are picked - and why? For the lowdown on ripening, I called the postharvest information center at the University of California, Davis (postharvest.ucdavis.edu) and the California Tree Fruit Agreement (eatcaliforniafruit.com). Ripening, I learned, is a complex process involving three changes in fruit: Starch is converted to sugar; acidity levels decrease, and the cell walls of the fruit begin to break down, making the fruit soften. Not every fruit experiences all these changes, but all of them experience at least one. Climacteric fruit ripen after they are picked; nonclimacteric fruit do not. Nonclimacteric fruit include pineapples, cherries, grapes, citrus fruit, berries and watermelon.

The days are finally warming up, and the ice sheets are retreating, but this winter's bitter cold has left behind a fatal legacy in Maryland.Fruit growers say that morning temperatures far below zero in mid-January devastated dormant buds in many peach orchards. Nectarines and plums also suffered.And nursery operators say that a week of stubborn cold last month probably damaged or killed a variety of vulnerable shrubs and recently planted ornamentals.Winter wheat and barley planted last fall also might have suffered, experts say.At Milburn Orchards in Elkton, where it was 13 below zero one morning last month, co-owner Evan Milburn puts the losses to his 120 acres of peaches at 90 percent, leaving just enough to stock his retail stand if the surviving buds bear fruit.

WASHINGTON -- The minuet of modern liberalism -- the dance of a doctrine in decline -- continues. Having become unpersuasive, and hence uneasy in political arenas, liberalism dabbles at democracy but increasingly relies on litigation rather than legislation to achieve its ends.In Hawaii, where 70 percent of the residents oppose same-sex marriages, a judge has decided to redefine marriage, and hence society's molecular unit, the family. He says the state is violating the state constitution's equal-protection guarantee because there is no ''compelling'' reason to ''discriminate'' against homosexuals by not licensing same-sex marriages.

They add color and flavor, and they're among the easiest fruits to prepare. Just rinse and they're ready. So it's time to stop confining blueberries to muffins or Sunday morning pancakes and experiment a little.Blueberries work equally well in fruit salads and green salads. They're a sturdy fruit that hold their shape well, so they can be tossed with abandon. Try them in a sorbet, mix them with nectarines for an innovative poultry stuffing or enjoy them simply with a little chevre on crackers.

In restaurants across the country, fresh herbs are popping up in the most unexpected places. At the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco, Chef Gary Danko infuses fresh basil and mint in a custard sauce, imparting both cool sweetness and brilliant jade-green color. Kathleen Daelemans, at Maui's Grand Hyatt Wailea, moistens an artful arrangement of blood oranges and strawberries with a light syrup perked up with fragrant rosemary needles. At his namesake restaurant in Chicago, Charlie Trotter adds an elusive touch of bay leaf to creme brulee.

I'm a yard-sale addict, a thrift-shop junkie -- not unlike a lot of you out there.But where many justify junking as a means of obtaining life's necessities and not-so-necessities at bargain prices, I delude myself into thinking there's a higher motive for my thrift safaris.I'm convinced that the penny-priced treasures offered at such locations give me valuable insight into what friends, neighbors and cooks in general are doing in their kitchens.Take pie tins, for example.I've been finding them in every yard and garage recently, priced so low -- from 5 cents to a quarter -- that it told me home cooks were dumping the once-valued plates because they no longer had use for them.

Fruit is the hottest thing on today's salsa market.Peaches, plums, watermelon, cantaloupe, papaya, pineapple, mango and nectarines are cozying up to chilies to create a mixed marriage made in heaven.It ain't your grandpa's salsa, that chunky, jalapeno blend that's red from the tomatoes and hot from the chilies. Now, the haute thing is hot things in many tropical hues."First came the regular stuff we all grew up with - tomatoes, garlic and peppers," says W. Park Kerr, founder of El Paso Chile Co., one of the premier boutique salsa makers.

Each day of the week offers a menu aimed at a different aspect of meal planning. There's a family meal, a kids' menu, a heat-and-eat meal that recycles leftovers, a budget meal, a meatless or "less meat" dish, an express meal, and an entertaining menu. SUNDAY / Family Prepare a smoked turkey breast yourself or buy one for today's family fare. Serve with Potato-Asparagus Salad. Combine 2 pounds cooked warm red potato chunks and 1 pound cooked asparagus pieces. Add fresh lemon juice to a light vinaigrette and pour over potatoes and asparagus.

On the opening day of school in Baltimore this week, Anthony Geraci, the new head of food services for the city schools, watched with delight as a first-grader at Calvin Rodwell Elementary School bit into a fresh peach from a Maryland farm. "There was peach juice dribbling down his chin and this big smile on his face," Mr. Geraci said. "It was the first time he ever tasted a peach that wasn't from a can." With food prices rising nationally, school districts across the country are charging more for school lunches to keep up with costs.

Summer is the easiest time to improve your diet.It's too hot to cook, so this is a great time to cut back on fried foods.And with local produce spilling from roadside stands, it's the perfect time to cut down on meats, sweets and salty snacks, and fill up on fresh fruits and vegetables.A 1/4 -pound hamburger with cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo will cost you about 500 calories and contains 30 grams of greasy fat. If you split your burger with a buddy, you could eliminate half the fat, and have 2 1/2 cups of watermelon, five luscious local peaches or 3/4 of a cantaloupe for the other 250 calories.