Valley Bounty: July 5, 2014: Cherries

Cherries, the elusive stone fruit of New England! Due to the cold, harsh winter, most producers only have sweet cherries (not their sour siblings) available for sale at farmers’ markets and pick-your-own farms. Stock up for your jams and pies now, because they’re out but they’re hard to find– so check CISA’s online database or download the CISA app to have an instant local food finder on your smartphone or mobile device.

By Abby Getman of Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture

Recipes:

We’re fortunate to have both sweet and sour cherries grown in Western Massachusetts. Sweet cherries are loved raw, while the sour cherries are more appreciated baked in a pie or made into jam.

Sweet cherries are great in smoothies, parfait or topping any baked concoction this season (blueberry pie with a cherry on top?). Add cherries to your favorite ice cream or frozen yogurt, or eat them plain! You can’t go wrong. Adorn your salads with the sweet ruby fruit and add to a refreshing mojito for your weekend picnic.

I plan to try Smitten Kitchen’s Cherry Almond Dutch Baby recipe is for an incredible Dutch pancake.

It is important to note that sweet cherries don’t store quite as well as their sour siblings. Dry cherries in a dehydrator for later, or freeze them using the Happy Valley Locavore’s instructions.

If you can find any sour cherries, this sour cherry jam recipe is worth a try from Marisa McClellan’s blog.