Cherries Galore!!! Recipes and what to make with them

In our new garden we have lots of fruit trees, We had no idea what they were...they all looked the same to me so its going to be an interesting summer of discovery!!! The trees are quite old and neglected and there isn't a lot that we can do at this time of year in terms of pruning so we have just been removing the ivy which has been making itself at home on most of the trees.

The first tree to produce has been this one...
This is Madonna. -  .as in 'Allo Allo...the fallen one with the big.........well you know that one..



anyway....it is producing the most amazing amount of sweet cherries which has prompted me to explore the various uses.

I have come up with the following which I feel will be the most useful

If you are going to have a lot of cherries it may be wise to invest in a "denoyeur"....a little machine that takes the stones out!!! They range in price...mine was only 5 euros....but its good to get one that collects the stones. Some people freeze the cherries with the stone in but I have heard that they can be poisonous and also its much easier for use afterwards if you take them out first!!

JUST FREEZE FOR LATER USE

Open freeze immediately after picking and de-stoning and box up in the freezer to use for puddings,crumbles.scones or for popping into drinks

CHERRY VINEGAR

Mash up two cupfuls of destoned cherries and cover in a bowl with 1 bottle of cheap balsamic vinegar.

Leave for about 10 days then strain and bottle up.

CHERRY VODKA

In a large kilner jar add 360g of cherries, 1 litre of cheap vodka (no need to use anything expensive as it would be a waste) 160g sugar. Shake well to beginning the dissolving process for the sugar.

It is a bit of a labour of love as you need to shake every day for the first couple of weeks and then now and again until it is ready. This will take about 3 months so if you are making it for Christmas presents it will be ready in good time.

CHERRY CHUTNEY

There always has to be a chutney recipe on my blog!!! This is great with cooked meats and cheeses especially if you want to add a little sweet touch.

Put all these ingredients together in one big cooking pot.

325g cherries

1 apple,peeled,cored and grated

70 ml cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

1 small chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

100g sugar

Bring the ingredients to the boil then simmer on a medium heat for about 45 mins

Pour into warm sterilized jars and seal.

CHERRY DROP SCONES

This recipe is great if you have unexpected visitors...as we did today...

125g sr flour

2 teaspoons sugar

100 ml milk

handful of fresh chopped cherries

1 beaten egg

mix flour,sugar and cherries together then make a well in mixture to add the egg/milk mix

Just add a little at a time and stop before it gets too sticky. If you have added too much just put in a bit more flour to bind it together,

In a large frying pan add just enough oil so that the scones do not stick....if the heat is too high they will cook too quickly and burn...drop in a tablespoon full of mixture and.cook just enough to brown on each side. Fit in a many as you can in your pan and keep flipping the scones so they don't burn!

Serve while hot and if you are feeling a bit decadent....or more like if you have any in...you can add a blob of creme fraiche and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

JUST A LITTLE NOTE ON FRESHNESS.....CHERRIES NOT YOU!!!

You will lose 50% of the food value of cherries if they are left at room temperature for only 1 hour. If you put them straight in the fridge it would take a day to lose the same food value. Of course..like vegetables...it is best if you can freeze them straight away.

Another good solution I find is if you JUST EAT THEM STRAIGHT FROM THE TREE!!

YUM YUM....BONNE APPETITE