You may not be able to go to Maine this year, but that doesn't mean you can't bring a taste of Maine to your doorstep. Whether it's Maui pineapple or Michigan sour cherries, these fantastic foodstuffs are the ultimate gifts for family member, a friend, or even for yourself. Make your last summer party a New England clambake or cheer up your vacation-less co-workers with a New York Bagel coffee break. Best of all, these goods can be shipped so quickly that they're perfect for a spontaneous craving. Dreaming of Texas barbecue on a Monday? You can be eating it for dinner Tuesday night.

MAUI PINEAPPLE

1-808-661-1457

www.maui-info.com/pineapple.html

Fresh pineapple may be infinitely superior to the canned stuff, but you haven't lived until you've tasted the king of all pineapples, the Maui Gold. This hybrid fruit is low in acid and exceptionally sweet.

Unlike the pineapples you buy in stores, usually from Nicaragua or Honduras, Maui Gold pineapples ordered directly are juicy and ripe because they're picked fresh. Since pineapples ripen very little once they're picked, store-bought pineapples are almost never at the pinnacle of ripeness.

Pineapples ordered from Maui-info.com are picked on Mondays and shipped on Tuesdays via FedEx with delivery guaranteed by Friday. The pineapples are good for five days unrefrigerated, or eight to 10 days refrigerated.

The minimum order is four pineapples for $85.95, which includes shipping to the continental United States, but there is a significant per-pineapple price reduction in orders of more than four. Ten pineapples costs $133.95.

TEXAS BARBECUE

Driftwood, Texas

www.saltlickbbq.com

1-512-894-3117

The Salt Lick Barbecue restaurant was created in 1969 on the ranch where owner Thurman Roberts Sr. was born, about 20 miles outside of Austin, Texas. Despite five outdoor barbecue pits, this restaurant is so popular that there's often a wait of more than an hour. Still, patrons happily line up and wait for a taste of the Salt Lick's delicious smoky barbecue. We can't all get to the Salt Lick, but now the Salt Lick can come to us, because its smoked meats and famous barbecue sauce are available by mail order.

Choose from a wide variety of options, such as the family-style dinner ($99.95), which feeds 8-10 people and includes a beef brisket, a rack of ribs, Hill Country sausage and a bottle of Secret Recipe Salt Lick BBQ Sauce.

Shipping costs are flat rates of $29.05 for second-day air, or $55 for next-day.

NEW YORK BAGELS

New York, N.Y.

1-212-595-8000

www.hhbagels.com

What is it about bagels? What sourdough bread is to San Francisco, bagels are to New York City, whether it's something in the air, the water or simply the minds of New Yorkers. Choosing the ultimate New York bagel shop is kind of like trying to pick the best pierogies in Pittsburgh -- it's best not to take sides. Still, few would disagree with the idea that H&H Bagels is at least a contender for best bagel in New York.

Founded in 1972, H&H Bagels now produces millions and millions of bagels each year, bagels that are shipped all over the country and the world. Whether you prefer plain or poppy seed, cinnamon raisin or salt, blueberry or everything, your favorite flavor is available by the dozen (with a minimum order of two dozen). Bagels are $14.40 per dozen, and with overnight shipping you can order them Monday morning and have them in time for a Tuesday morning coffee break. Shipping included, two dozen bagels shipped to Pittsburgh will cost approximately $70. But to a lover of New York bagels, who can put a price on getting the very best?

Ellsworth, Mich.

1-888-968-3554

friske.com

These amazing cherries are in season only for about three weeks in July. Extremely fragile, they are transported in water and difficult to find outside of the states that grow them. Friske Orchards pits and individually quick freezes its sour cherries, so they retain their shape and don't clump together.

Sour cherries are prized for their sour-sweet flavor. Pickled sour cherries are an unusual and delicious accompaniment to pork and duck dishes. Add them to baked goods, especially pies, and you'll have the perfect dessert for those who love sour-sweet combinations. They're also a mouthwatering (and fashionable) cocktail ingredient.

Friske sells cherries in 5-pound bags, and because they must be sent overnight, shipping charges are expensive. One 5-pound bag of cherries shipped to Pittsburgh will cost approximately $92.

Friske also sells a wide variety of jams, fruit salsa, dried fruit, honeys, mustards and a wide selection of gift boxes. The cherry berry delight gift box includes a mix of dried fruit and nuts, a bottle of cherry syrup, a jar of cherry jam, a jar of cherry jelly and four homemade cherry caramels ($25.94).

Rye, N.H.

www.sagamorelobster.com

1-888-433-1910

Maine lobsters are known throughout the world for their sweet, firm flesh and incredible flavor. We can't all summer in Maine, but these delicious crustaceans are readily available for your next clambake. Sagamore Lobster has been in business for more than 30 years. It buys its lobster directly from local fishermen to ensure that you're getting authentic, fresh Maine Lobster caught the day that it's shipped.

The company offers a wide range of options, such as a single large live lobster for $30.99, 12 small live lobsters for $205.19, and a medium lobster clambake for $29.99 per person that includes a 1.25-pound lobster, half a pound of steamer clams and a lobster cracker and bib.

The cost for overnight shipping is a flat rate of $29.99. Place an order before 1 p.m. and you'll get your lobster the next day, sometime between 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. You want to get live lobster the day that you're going to cook it, but you can also cook one the day it arrives, refrigerate it for a couple of days and reheat it.

Don't want to cook them? Sagamore Lobsters will par-cook your lobster free of charge -- you just need to reheat.