Cherry Recipes

Cherry Filling

1 - 2 lb tub cherries
1 - 2 lb tub water
1 1/2 cups sugar (I've also used 1 cup honey instead of the sugar)
5 Tbsp. cornstarch (or half tapioca starch / half cornstarch)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Put cherries and water in a pot. Cook cherries
gently until soft. Add sugar and stir. Mix cornstarch with
lemon juice and a little more cold water. Add to boiling cherries stirring
constantly. Boil 3 minutes longer until cornstarch has thickened and sauce is clear, stirring constantly.
Pack into hot jars, seal and turn jar upside down OR Use immediately or store in refrigerator once cooled (keeps in the fridge for about a week).

Use filling in any of the following recipes, in pies and tarts or as a sauce over perogies, cheese cakes, ice cream, pancakes, cream puffs…use instead of cranberries with stuffing … we even use it like jam!

Cheubarb Sauce
This is a variation of the recipe above - we like it just as well or better...and it makes the cherries last longer and the rhubarb not as tart.

Make the recipe above but add a good cup of rhubarb before cooking. You may wish to add a little more sugar (1/3 cup) as well. Try and see what you think.


Cherry Smoothie

2 cups yogurt
1 cup milk
1 cup frozen cherries
2 T. honey
12 ice cubes

Blend and serve.






Cherry Cobbler

Place cherry filling in a glass pan then top with dollops of batter:

Combine:
½ cup sifted flour
½ cup sugar
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp sea salt
2 tbsp. soft butter
1 egg, slightly beaten.
Beat with spoon until batter is smooth.
Drop by spoonfuls over cherry filling. It spreads over
The filling during baking. Bake in 400 degree oven up to
20-30 minutes, until brown.



Cherry French Toast

12 slices whole wheat bread, cubed
2 – 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 cup cherries, chopped
12 eggs
2 cups milk
1/3 cup honey

Sauce:
1 cup cherries
½ cup honey
1 cup water
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. butter
Cube bread and cream cheese. Put ½ bread cubes into 9 x 13 pan. Then put cubed cheese over bread. Sprinkle with 1 chopped cherries and remaining bread cubes. In bowl, beat eggs, add milk and honey. Mix well. Pour over bread in pan. Cover, chill overnight. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover, bake 25-30 minutes more until center is set and top is golden brown. Cut into 15 servings. Prepare sauce and serve over toast.





Cherry, Cream & Chocolate Cupcakes

1 cup sugar
1 ½ cups flour
¼ cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp sea salt
½ cup oil
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. vinegar
t tsp. vanilla, optional

Cheese Mix:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 small egg, slightly beaten
1/3 cup sugar
pinch sea salt
Cherry filling for garnish

Mix the dry ingredients well, then add the oil, water
& vinegar. Blend all well. Fill muffin tins ½ full with batter.
Cheese Mix: Combine softened cream cheese, egg, sugar, and sea salt. Drop a dollop of cheese mix on top of each
and then garnish with a cherry with a bit of filling, pushing cherry gently down into the cheese and batter.
Bake in 325 degree F. oven. Makes 20 to 25 cupcakes
or 36 mini cupcakes.



Cherry Coffee Cake

1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup butter
½ cup shortening
½ tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
2 cups durum flour
1 cup white flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
Beat together sugar, butter, shortening, vanilla and eggs.
Add the 3 cups flour with baking powder. Spread 2/3 of this
Mixture in a greased 11x17 cookie sheet. Top with cherry filling. Drop the rest of the dough by spoonsful on top of the cherry pie filling. Bake @ 350 degrees F. for 20-25 minutes.

First Basket

So, yesterday we brought out the first garden baskets. There wasn't a lot ready, but the spinach and lettuce needed picking -- a we certainly can't eat that much greens ourselves. We thought you might like some first tastes.

If you're at all familiar with gardening, you know that things do start slow ... and abundance comes later. Certainly, I think members who got our baskets last year can attest to the filled & overflowing baskets that came later in the season.

At any rate, we do hope that you enjoyed the package.

For those of you with a half share, we substituted the delightful little Johnny-jumps ups to add to salads or decorate desserts since they're edible and add so much appeal to a dish.

The full shares were given a 2 lb. tub of frozen pitted carmine jewel cherries. One way to use those is to cook up a quick sauce and use them in many of the recipes posted earlier. For quick reference, here's the sauce recipe:


Cherry Filling

1 - 2 lb tub cherries
1 - 2 lb tub water
1 1/2 cups sugar (I've also used 1 cup honey instead of the sugar)
5 Tbsp. cornstarch (or half tapioca starch / half cornstarch)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Put cherries and water in a pot. Cook cherries
gently until soft. Add sugar and stir. Mix cornstarch with
lemon juice and a little more cold water. Add to boiling cherries stirring
constantly. Boil 3 minutes longer until cornstarch has thickened and sauce is clear, stirring constantly.
Pack into hot jars, seal and turn jar upside down OR Use immediately or store in refrigerator once cooled (keeps in the fridge for about a week).

Use filling in any of the following recipes, in pies and tarts or as a sauce over perogies, cheese cakes, ice cream, pancakes, cream puffs…use instead of cranberries with stuffing … we even use it like jam!

OR ... check out the variation that combines the cherries with the rhubarb:

Cherhub Sauce
This is a variation of the recipe above - we like it just as well or better...and it makes the cherries last longer and the rhubarb not as tart.

Make the recipe above but add a good cup of rhubarb before cooking. You may wish to add a little more sugar (1/3 cup) as well. Try and see what you think.

CSA Basket #17

The season is almost done. One more basket after this ... plus a big sack of spuds if you wish.


-- onions
-- carrots
-- swiss chard
-- parsley
-- beets
-- parsnip
-- potatoes
-- peppers
-- amber cup squash
-- spaghetti squash


Next week:
-- hubbard squash
-- 2 lb. tub of frozen cherries
-- bag of fresh ground local organic wheat flour (store in fridge or freezer)
-- various squash
-- bag of pinecones for holiday decorating and/or fire starters
-- maybe more ... we'll just have to wait & see

... and the bag of spuds if you've requested it.

Final CSA Baskets #'s 18 & 19

Our final two weeks worth of garden produce were delivered this last Friday. With the killing frosts taking our gardens earlier than normal, we are quite pleased that the hardier greens and winter storage veggies were available in ample supply to fill the baskets.

It was a challenge to come up with ideas to add to each basket, but we trust that it is also reasonable & pleasurable as well as being sustenance for your families.

The fresh ground organic whole wheat flour is a staple at our house. If you have never used whole wheat, give it a try with the bag that was added to your baskets. Be sure to store unused flour in the fridge or freezer as the fresh ground flour is susceptible to going rancid. Be sure to notice the two recipes that I posted earlier for Chiffon Cake & Buttermilk Whole Wheat Waffles.

The cherries are great fresh frozen, in smoothies or made into sauce and used in recipes some of which are also posted earlier.

Our twins picked up the pinecones earlier in summer & bagged them to add to the basket for you to enjoy in the upcoming Christmas holiday season.


The thyme plant can be kept indoor for the winter providing your family with this aromatic fresh herb. Then plant it outdoors in the spring to let it grow & thrive in a little spot on your yard. It is a perennial so it will keep on giving great flavor & health!

Finally, the bag of potatoes should help to feed you families for a while yet. Hopefully it makes up for another basket worth. We do not have storage for root vegetables ... yet! So we shared it with you.