Sometimes frozen or canned fruit is your best option — especially during the winter, when fresh fruit can be prohibitively expensive or a little worse for wear. Frozen fruit is typically picked at the peak of ripeness, then flash-frozen, and it's widely available year-round.

We're partial to Cascadian Farm Organic frozen fruit (sold in most health-food stores); the cherries are particularly good. (Thaw the fruit partially before mixing your filling.)

Canned Wyman's Wild Blueberries — sweet-tart and slightly chewy — have far more personality than any fresh, standard-issue blueberries. (Available at Whole Foods Markets and most gourmet food stores.)