Cherries

As I write, I can hear the faint sound of the cherry canons off in the distance. The farmers around here use them to deter the birds from feasting on their deliciously ripe fruit. I like hearing the canons. They make me think of cherries, cherry pie and the sweetness that summer brings.

Last year a friend of mine gave me several pounds of organic cherries from her farm. She was trying to find a good cherry pie recipe to give to her customers at the farmer's market and asked me to do a little recipe testing for her.

It was the first time I had made a cherry pie, the first time I used a cherry pitter and the first cherry pie I think I really liked. Maybe it was because I had made it from scratch, or perhaps it was because I knew that each cherry had been lovingly grown by my friend. Either way, it was a darn good pie. Below is the recipe that won our taste test.

FRESH CHERRY PIE
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Favorite 9-inch double pie crust (for lattice top).

Filling:
4 Tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
4 cups pitted organic cherries
1/4 teaspoon real almond extract
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients and let stand 15 minutes. Pour into pie dish, add lattice top and bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown.


We believe the magic combination of both the almond and the vanilla extract made this recipe stand out from the rest. So yummy!

Happy Cherry Season!