Cherries
Cooking Tips
- Eat raw while wandering through an orchard. Be careful of the pits!
- A paper clip is a handy cherry pitter. Unfold the clip so it makes a flat S; insert one of the curved ends into the top of the cherry and pop out the pit.
- Cherries complement savory dishes like squash, sweet potatoes, pork and lamb.
- Make brandied cherries in a crock pot by letting the fruit soak at room temperature in a dark place for a month or two. Or a versatile chutney. Try the recipes found in "The Organic Cook’s Bible" (Cox, 2006).
Details
With 50 orchards across the county, Door County is Wisconsin’s cherry leader and 4th in the nation. It’s definitely worth a little trip to see the cherry blossoms in spring or to fill a bucket in late summer. In the orchard or the market, look for cherries that are bright colored, firm and with no splits.
Want to plant a cherry tree in your backyard? Choose one of 300 sour varieties, which are disease resistant for less maintenance and which are delicious in pies, cobblers and tarts. They are also harder to find fresh except at the farmers market (in stores, they’re usually in cans). It’s important to choose organic sweet cherries, as conventional cherries are heavily sprayed.
Fun fact: One cherry tree produces enough fruit for 30 pies!
Nutrition: Cherries are high in sugar but a good source of vitamin C. They are also said to help reduce inflammation and be a good pre- or post-workout drink.
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