So what is a stone fruit? Apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches and plums are five of the most common stone fruits. These tasty fruits get their names from the stone or pit that rests in their centers. Stone fruits are bountiful during the summer months, but can be purchased any time of year if your local market wants to pay and charge you the higher price to import them. Either way, when buying these types of fruit, look for ones that are ripe. A stone fruit is ripe when the flesh is tender to the touch and the smell makes your mouth water! If you don’t want to eat them right away, buying them hard and letting them ripen at room temperature might be a better option.