How did you spend your Memorial Day Holiday? I've spent mine trying to deal with the best sweet cherry harvest ever. For reasons I can't fathom, my dwarf cherry tree produces almost nothing one year, then huge amounts of fruit the following year. But, I've never seen anything like this year's bounty. At first it was thrilling to stand under the branches, yanking the cherries off, popping them in my mouth, and spitting the seeds out on the ground. It's the best way to eat them, in my opinion. But, eventually it was time to start some serious harvesting, or all that fruit would shrivel up on the branches. So, I've spent the last three days picking cherries, with help from Bob.
These are just a few of the cherries we picked on Saturday. I ran through all my big bowls and wound up using my wok for one load. I estimate we picked around 80 pounds of fruit.
Here's the CSI cherry homicide scene after pitting 6 pounds of cherries. It took me almost an hour and, as God is my witness, I will never use a manual cherry pitter again! This is what I'll order for next year.
I did manage to make cherry syrup, but feel overwhelmed about what to fix next. Maybe jam, but that means more pitting. Chocolate cherry bread? Maybe I'll freeze all the little bastards. Tonight, I started stuffing pounds of them in zip lock bags and took them to my neighbors. People are a lot happier to take sweet cherries off your hands than zucchini.
.......Story developing.........
We'll be back in the U.S. next week, and my sister was just complaining that she has more cherries than she can eat. I'm pretty sure I can take care of that!!
Don't forget that you can dry those babies, too! Make fruit leather! Cherry cheesecake... Can't WAIT 'til it's cherry season here -- don't know if the U.K. HAS a cherry season... Hm.
Posted by: TadMack | May 26, 2008 at 01:11 AM
envy...
The only things that are really growing in the northeast are greens right now. It'll be at least another month until we see strawberries...
Cherries, I don't think they even grow out this way.
Posted by: jef | May 26, 2008 at 01:33 AM
Wow, how lucky! I love cherries!
Cheers,
Rosa
Posted by: Rosa | May 26, 2008 at 01:47 AM
Wow, how lucky! I love cherries!
Cheers,
Rosa
Posted by: Rosa | May 26, 2008 at 01:47 AM
Gorn sure wishes you could bring us a few bags, cherry pie is his favorite!
Posted by: MyKitchenInHalfCups | May 26, 2008 at 01:58 AM
Around here, that would be one of those gadgets that you talk yourself out of -because it's really only once per year... -it really is only good for one thing...
Humbug! My Italian tomato press is only ever used for making fresh gazpacho. Sure I could probably use it for something else, but the truth is that's all I ever use it for. And I would die without it.
Posted by: Zazzy | May 26, 2008 at 01:58 AM
Just order the replacement Gasket & Spring Kit when you order the pitter, you'll need it sometime!
The cherries are beautiful and I love the .......Story developing.........
Posted by: MyKitchenInHalfCups | May 26, 2008 at 02:01 AM
LOL @ the Homocide scene...cherries abound in Ontario soon!
Posted by: Peter | May 26, 2008 at 06:03 AM
Wow, what a good problem to have!
Posted by: Kalyn | May 26, 2008 at 07:48 AM
Oh, Sher, I want some, please!! ;)
Posted by: Patricia Scarpin | May 26, 2008 at 08:16 AM
There's a delicious looking cherry cake on Smitten Kitchen's blog...you might wanna try that. And oh, make 2 serving sized protions of cherry clafoutis every morning for breakfast, a la Tartlette(the blog) ;)
You are so lucky to have an 80 pound harvest! My aunt, who also lives in Davis, can't get her cherry tree to give more than 2-3 pounds every year. The birds get to the cherries while they are unripe and destroy the whole crop. As for the bountiful harvest every alternate years, it's the same with my aunt's apricot trees. One year she'll get 80-100 pounds of fruit and the othet year, just a few.
Posted by: Nabeela | May 26, 2008 at 11:18 AM
Dry them? All it takes is a box fan and some furnace filters and the house will smell amazing for the two days it takes. Save room in the freezer if you can, its only the end of May, there's still a ton of goodies to stuff away for the winter coming!
(I gotta admit, this is one problem I'd love to help out with! lol
Posted by: jenna | May 26, 2008 at 12:29 PM
I vote for some kind of cherry soaked in booze! How I miss those explosions of CA fruit, but can only imagine the work involved in getting those little sucker pits out... Happy eating-
Posted by: Callipygia | May 26, 2008 at 01:00 PM
I can't believe you grew those in your own garden! I am seriously jealous!!! I LOVE cherry jam...mmmmmmmmmmm - on fresh scones to die for!
Posted by: Emily | May 26, 2008 at 01:34 PM
Looks like cherry cobbler may be on the menu at your house! Also, 80 lbs of cherries? That's, like, an entire 5th grader made of cherries!! And by that, I mean a LOT!
Posted by: Shannon | May 26, 2008 at 04:41 PM
My pear trees are like your cherry trees -- abundant one year, nearly naked the next. We just learn to love the pears whenever they show up!
Posted by: Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) | May 26, 2008 at 05:11 PM
Oh..send them over, I'm waiting with my mouth open wide!
Posted by: Baking Soda | May 27, 2008 at 12:09 AM
You get your cherries for free from a tree?? I am so jealous!
Posted by: Kristi | May 27, 2008 at 04:47 AM
How lucky can you be...these are wonderful!! Looks like fun all the way...& a buncha happy friends & neighbours! Wish I lived next door!! :0)
Posted by: Deeba | May 28, 2008 at 02:12 AM
Holy Cow! Look at all of them! I so wish I could be there to help! Hang in there and keep pitting away (and eating lots fresh._) Yum!
Posted by: Glenna | May 29, 2008 at 01:52 AM