This morning I did my usual Saturday farmers’ market run. I was a bit more pressed for time than usual, so I had to prioritize what I really needed, so I could whip in and whip out again.
Having
found everything I needed very quickly, I decided I could
reward myself by heading out via the middle aisle – a part of the market I frequently
forget to visit, because none of my regular vendors are there and what is there
seems to change a lot.
I’m
going to have to file this away as a reason to deviate from my normal routine
more, not less, often. Because the last time I went down there, I found spelt
flour for the first time in Canberra. And today, I hit the jackpot again: I found
a cherry stand that had, alongside piles and piles of sweet cherries, just a
few boxes of sour cherries.
I’ve
been in love with sour cherries ever since I first discovered them at a farmers’
market in western Mass. more than five years ago, but even at farmers’ markets
they’re a rare commodity. It’s probably been three years since I’ve been able
to get my hands on any; my supplier in Kansas had her sour cherry harvest
flooded out by the Missouri River in 2011. Last year I asked every cherry
seller I came across in Canberra if they had sour cherries; every single one told
me no. I was convinced they weren’t even grown in Australia. And now here I am
with 1.5 kg (3 lbs) on my hands!
Now
the question is: what to do with them? I love the combination of sour cherries
and peaches in baked goods, but peaches aren’t really in season yet. Maybe a
plain cherry pie? I’ve never made one of those before. Jam? Or maybe I should
plan ahead to Thanksgiving, and use them as a stand-in for the equally elusive (around
here anyway) fresh cranberry?
2 comments:
I was so disappointed to be in Atlanta during sour cherry season here because I've heard such good things. Food in Jars has a jam recipe that just so happens to call for exactly 3 lbs! Plus 3 c. sugar (although I've been known to reduce her sugar requirements by almost half and enjoyed it) and 1 packet of liquid pectin. She says you just boil cherries and sugar for 20 min, skim off the foam, add pectin, and boil another 5 min. BWB for 10 min. Makes 3 pint jars. Let me know what you end up doing with them!
Oooh, excellent, thanks! I was thinking there was a Food in Jars recipe for sour cherry jam - I am definitely going to try this and will report back shortly!
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