When we were in the market to buy ourselves a home, one of the things we didn’t want was a big yard because of the upkeep, well, as they say, “The heart wants what the heart wants”, and just like that we ended up falling for a cute little bungalow with a huge yard and more vegetation than you can shake a stick at. Part of our little jungle is a group of fruit trees which we refer to as The Orchard but it is in reality ten trees of the following varieties: 2 apple, 6 plum, and 2 cherry. Last summer, our first year in our home, I felt like a vegetal prisoner, hemmed in on every side by some plant species, not the least of which were those fruit bearers, all sticky and bee attracting. Well, this year it seems that The Orchard and I have made our peace and my children and I have been loving being able to “harvest”, “put up”, and turn our little fruit friends into delectable items to grace our humble table…it is so Little House on the Prairie you wouldn’t believe it!
The first of the produce to be ready has been the illustrious cherry: juicy, succulent, darn cute in a mason jar, and destined for a lovely jelly, after some careful research I have found there are actually quite a few things to do with cherries and here are just a few:
- The ever classic Cherries Jubilee
- Roasted Sour Cherries to be served along side pork, duck, or even rabbit (the other day I had a beef based broth in my mouth and decided to eat a cherry at the same time…don’t ask…and it was actually quite good so I am thinking that it will work with beef, too)
- Cherry Chutney
- Cherry Cookies
- Sangria (more on this soon!!!)
- And, of course, Cherry Pie (pronounced with a Southern accent like Paula Deen)
I will keep you all posted as all this fruit-y excitement unfolds…stay tuned for photos, recipes, and other very cherry ideas.
Pretty sweet, huh?
Very Professional I can’t beleive it’s really you! Keep it up ‘cherry picker”
I love cherries! I can’t wait to try some of these ideas 🙂