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And
we know almost
everything
about cherries.
Check
it out:
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Tart
(or sour) cherries:
Michigan
produces 70 to 75 percent of the
tart cherries grown in the
United States; Utah grows about
10 percent of the crop;
Wisconsin, about 5 percent. New
York, 10 percent; Pennsylvania,
5 percent; there also are small
crops of tart cherries in Oregon
and Washington.
The
amount of tart cherries (the one
mainly used in desserts)
produced each year varies,
depending on a number of
factors, including the age of
the trees and weather
conditions. The U.S. crop is 250
to 300 million pounds.
The
major variety of tart cherry
grown in the United States is
the Montmorency. It has been
cultivated in the United States
for more than a century because
the fruit is excellent for pies,
preserves, jellies, juice and
other products.
Tart
cherries, which are sometimes
called pie cherries or sour
cherries, are seldom sold fresh;
they generally are canned or
frozen shortly after harvesting
for use in many different kinds
of products throughout the
year.
Most
tart cherries are mechanically
harvested, using a shaker to
drop the fruit onto canvases
where they flow into elevators
and are placed in tanks of
water.
Sweet
cherries:
Sweet
cherries primarily are grown in
the Pacific Coast states. The
1995 sweet cherry crop for the
U.S. was about 270 million
pounds.
Sweet
cherry varieties include Emperor
Francis, Napoleon, Schmidt and
Bing.
Sweet
cherries that are to be marketed
fresh are picked by hand.
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Cherry Recipes
Of
course, we cook with them. After all, we’re
the Cherrys!
The
Marry Cherry
We
served this drink at our wedding. It’s a
great alternative to the typical mimosas
served at brunch.
Ingredients:
Cherry Brandy
Sweetened Lime Juice
Cherry Juice
Champagne
Maraschino Cherry
Pour
cherry brandy in about 1/4 of a champagne
flute. Mix equal parts lime juice and cherry
juice, adding ¼ of glass. Add champagne to
fill the glass to about ¾. Top with the cherry.
Cherry
Salsa
Ingredients:
1-1/3 cups frozen unsweetened tart cherries
1/4 cup coarsely chopped dried
tart cherries
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or
canned jalapeno peppers, or to taste
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh
cilantro or 1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Coarsely
chop frozen tart cherries. Let cherries thaw
and drain, reserving 1 tablespoon cherry
juice. When
cherries are thawed, combine drained cherries,
dried cherries, onion, jalapenos, garlic and
cilantro in a medium saucepan; mix well.
Combine reserved cherry juice and cornstarch
in a small bowl; mix until smooth. Stir into
cherry mixture. Cook, stirring constantly,
over medium-high heat until mixture is
thickened. Let cool. Serve with tortilla chips
and/or cooked chicken or pork. Makes about 1
cup.
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