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Cherries Galore!
by Monica Resinger - Plantldy98@aol.com
Description: Tips for cooking with and preserving cherries.
We are very lucky have two old sweet cherry trees
in our yard. When we first moved here, the trees
were so tall you couldn't get to the cherries, so the
birds and squirrels were well fed.
After the first year, my husband and his friend topped
them to a reachable level and for the first few years
we didn't get many cherries. This year was different,
very different. We had enough cherries to supply the
birds, squirrels, neighbors, family and our freezer! We
also had enough to eat fresh, and make some jam,
crisp and pie.
To freeze cherries, simply wash, drain, and pit them.
Pack them into sturdy freezer containers and freeze.
It's as simple as that. Later you can make desserts
or jam with them.
Here are my recipes for jam, crisp and pie:
Sweet Cherry Jam:
Wash, pit and finely chop enough cherries to equal
4 1/2 cups. The chopping can be done in a food
processor. Put cherries into saucepan and add
6 1/4 cups sugar. Bring the mixture to a full rolling
boil and add 1 package of powdered pectin. Return
to a rolling boil, and boil 1 minute longer. Remove
from heat and skim off any foam with a spoon. Ladle
into sterilized canning jars filling to within 1/8 inch of
tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with flat lids
then screw bands tightly. Process in a water bath
for 10 minutes.
Cherry Crisp:
For filling, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons
all-purpose flour. Toss with 5 cups fresh, pitted cherries.
Place mixture in an 8 X 1 1/2 inch round baking dish.
For topping, in a mixing bowl combine 1/2 cup regular
rolled oats, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1/4 cup
all-purpose flour, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Cut in
1/4 cup margarine or butter till mixture resembles coarse
crumbs. Sprinkle over filling.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until fruit is
tender and topping is golden. Serve warm with ice
cream if desired. Serves 6.
Quick, Fresh Sweet Cherry Pie
1 purchased double crust piecrust for 9" pie
4 cups washed, pitted sweet cherries
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
milk
sugar
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a 9" pie pan with bottom
piecrust. Stir together sugar and flour; mix with
cherries. Turn into pastry-lined pie pan. Cover
with top crust which has slits cut in it; seal and
flute. Brush milk over top crust and sprinkle with
a couple teaspoons of sugar. Bake 35-45 minutes
or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble
through slits in crust.
* Note be sure to place the pie pan on a cookie sheet to prevent oven spills.
Cherry tip: A fast easy way to pit cherries: hold the
cherry between your thumb and index finger with stem
end pointing towards a bowl and squeeze. The pit
should pop out with some juice. Be sure to catch
the flavorful juice to use in your recipes.
It was a bit stressful trying to keep up with everything
and take care of the cherries, but it was all worth it in
the end. We enjoyed luscious desserts, fresh fruit, but
most importantly we were able to share our bountiful
harvest!
Monica Resinger is editor/founder of
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