Beating the birds to the cherries!

nancyjane_gardener

5 years ago

I have pitted and frozen about 4 bags of cherries for pies or hand held tartlets.

And put together enough in each bag for a pie or the tarts (we don't eat a lot of sweets!)

4 c cherries (pitted) simmered 10-15 min

1 c sugar

1/4 c corn starch simmer another 2 min. Let cool

So, should I make the tarts beforehand bake and then freeze, or make the tarts, freeze, then bake?

I'm hoping I can pick a bunch more before I go help with the twins, but we'll see!

I should probably hire a teen in the area to get up into that tree, but the timing is off!

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sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)

5 years ago

So sweet you get to enjoy the babies so often. Seems just last week you were antisipating the birth! 2020 was such a blur. We have two fresh covid babies via nephews...so hope to see them soon. (not sure i should call them 'covid', 😳)

I'm knee deep in a boatload of rhubarb. Giving most of it away but processing about 20 lbs tomorrow.

I like quart freezer zip-lock flat pack. I just cook down halfway so i get some softness and juice. Some just sliced. Same with blueberries and other fruits. I don't add any sugars since i'm not sure how i will use it later. Blueberries we like to grab a frozen handful and add to pancakes or waffles. Cherries i like to pit and freeze whole. (flat pack). Grab a handful for a claufoutis. (JuliaChild)

Or halfway through a fruit tart...add frozen fresh on top.

I use rhubarb in my BBQ sauce for that tartness and a natural thickiner. It is a background not not really tasted but it is free and adds volume. Similar to a tomatillo.

I plan to pay more attention to the cherry tree. I intially planted it as a shade tree in front of the garden shed and that paid off. Would be nice to enjoy some fruit. Seems like an avocado...the ripening window is just a few hours....

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Comments (8)

plllog
5 years ago
Bake first but leave off the final bit of browning.
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10
5 years ago
No advice, just envying you all those cherries 🙂
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nancyjane_gardener
Original Author
5 years ago
Ended up making the filling at home and baking them there. It worked out, cause they got to eat them warm, and I ended up with an extra cup of filling which they will use on ice cream.

The birds are arriving, so we only have a day or 2 to pick! Might hire a teen to spend the afternoon in the tree!
nancyjane_gardener
Original Author
5 years ago
Got our lawn guy to pick the tall and outer areas of the tree and have some friends coming tomorrow to pick (theirs all got eaten by crows even before they ripened!)

I've decided since it's going to cool down this week to cook the batches and freeze in pie portions. It will save a lot of room in my freezer!

Peaches coming in a couple of weeks! Those can be frozen for the twins who are just starting on fruit.
annie1992
5 years ago
nancyjane, I always have to rush to beat the birds, except the year the bear hung around. He ate everything down low enough to reach, and kept the birds away, so I picked the top. I was hoping it would get to be a habit, but it didn't.

I usually freeze fruit in pie-sized portions in ziplock bags, so when I want to make a pie I just grab a bag of fruit and make pie. Whole pies take up too much space and they always get bumped and edges and pieces of crust break off. I make double batches of crust and freeze portions along with the fruit and then I have everything I need for an "emergency" pie.

Have fun with those twins, they grow fast!

Annie
nancyjane_gardener
Original Author
5 years ago
Ends up I'm freezing them in 4 cup bags, but I'm thinking of cooking up the pie mixture and freezing flat to save freezer space.

We're going to see the babies every week to help with swim lessons. Missed last week due to an appointment. What a difference 2 weeks makes!
nancyjane_gardener
Original Author
5 years ago
I'm not positive, but I think that having our yard guy go up and pick the upper cherries might have prevented the birds from discovering the cherries. The tree is very tall and full.