Wild cherry glut

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Wild cherry glut

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cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 05 8:49 pm Post subject: Wild cherry glut
Well, I say they're wild, they're more planted by the council and abandoned. And we have a glut, a whole basketload of red, black and pale cherries. Enough, in fact, for her to make herself sick gorging on them several times over. If you find yourself passing any cherry trees, have a look.

nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 05 11:04 pm Post subject:
I walked past an absolutely laden tree in Hornchurch a couple of weeks ago. I picked a cherry as I walked past and my colleague looked at me a though I was completely barking. It was a shame I was suited up and going to an appointment, I'd have been back there like a shot with a big basket otherwise. Thanks for the reminder, cab. I do know of a tree or two nearby that I can go and raid.

Mat S

Joined: 07 Nov 2004
Posts: 282
Location: Leicester

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 05 12:18 pm Post subject:
So, what's the best use for all these cherries? I'm seeing loads round here. Wine? Jam? Spirits?

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 05 1:17 pm Post subject:

Mat S wrote:

So, what's the best use for all these cherries? I'm seeing loads round here. Wine? Jam? Spirits?

Cherry wine is good, although I find that it's one that is ready to drink young, and which loses something of the cherry as it ages (which is a shame). Cherry jam can be good, but you really want cooking cherries for that, and, regrettably, the ones I've had so far this year have been big, fat, gorgeously sweet, and not best for jam. Still, you can make a decent jam out of that; stew the fruit down, put the pulp through a colander to get rid of the stones, and then something less than a pound of sugar per pound of starting fruit, a little squeeze of lemon, and make as for any jam. That's a soft setting cherry jam; use a jam sugar with pectin for a hard set. Cooking cherries, when used at their best (a little under-ripe) don't need the extra pectin.

Cherry brandy is great. Fill a big jar with cherries, sprinkle on a little sugar, fill up with brandy, shake and store in the dark. Shake up and sample once in a while, sweetening if you need to, but don't over-sweeten. Both brandy and cherries become heavenly.

A summer pudding made with lots of cherries (even ALL cherries) is divine. Get a cherry stoner for that, though, it makes stoning LOTS of cherries much, much easier.

Mat S

Joined: 07 Nov 2004
Posts: 282
Location: Leicester

Posted: Sat Jul 02, 05 1:27 pm Post subject:
I picked 5.5lbs of (free) cherries yesterday afternoon. Very dark in colour, edible but not too sweet. Lots of juice, I looked like I'd got blood all over my hands afterwards. And there's another gallon of wine on its way. On the lookout for a stoner now, and there's more jam on the way. Ta for the ideas! Mat

ButteryHOLsomeness

Joined: 03 Apr 2005
Posts: 770

Posted: Sat Jul 02, 05 4:30 pm Post subject:
well, if you're getting that many for free than why not dry them? they'd be lovely in museli or just as a snack! we have a load of trees around here but none have cherries yet our alpine strawberries also have tiny tiny strawberries but they are still mostly yellow, only just starting to go red... weird because it's not been that cold here this year, i'd only expect us to be a few weeks behind

Mat S

Joined: 07 Nov 2004
Posts: 282
Location: Leicester

Posted: Sun Jul 03, 05 10:28 am Post subject:

ButteryHOLsomeness wrote:

well, if you're getting that many for free than why not dry them? they'd be lovely in museli or just as a snack!

Because I like my museli CRUNCHY dammit! Why people insist on putting rasins in it I don't know. It's almost impossible to buy raisin-less museli!

Rant over,

Mat

ps but they could make a nice snack and keep better dried. Does one need a drying machine or do you just leave them in the oven / on a sunny windowsill?

nora

Joined: 20 Mar 2005
Posts: 1539
Location: West Yorkshire

Posted: Sun Jul 03, 05 10:33 am Post subject:
The cherries are not ripe here either but my wild strawberries are red and taste beautiful. (are they wild if they have runners and alpine if they havn't-mine spread everywhere on runners so I think they are wild but may have it the wrong way round)

helen_Mc

Joined: 16 May 2005
Posts: 9
Location: sheffield

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 05 11:15 am Post subject: freeze them?
cherries cherries cherries! i've made lots of jam and stuffed my face with fresh ones, can i freeze them ? raw or stewed?

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 05 11:24 am Post subject:
This month's TKG has an article on drying methods and not a mention of a dehydrator which you may never see even if you order one not that I'm bitter or anything.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 05 12:22 pm Post subject: Re: freeze them?

helen_Mc wrote:

cherries cherries cherries!
i've made lots of jam and stuffed my face with fresh ones,
can i freeze them ?
raw or stewed?

They go a bit squidgy and nasty if you freeze them raw. Better to dry them, or stone and stew them. Or jam them

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 05 12:28 pm Post subject:

Bugs wrote:

This month's TKG has an article on drying methods and not a mention of a dehydrator which you may never see even if you order one not that I'm bitter or anything.

Yeah, not a bad article that one.

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