Cherry Season, 3 Ways

When certain fruits or vegetable come into season, underneath all of the welcome back party feelings, a part of me starts to panic. It’s a bit like when you start worrying about going home on the first day of your vacation. What if I don’t get the chance to take full advantage of it before it leaves us again for another year?!

(A cherry pitter, although niche, is indispensable for the short cherry-filled weeks. They also work for pitting most olives.)

The summer is full of this strange, delicious seasonal produce anxiety. I find the only way to remedy it is to properly roll around in the local bounty. Eat lots of it as is, while you transform the rest into culinary creations to be appreciated both later that day and later that month, when it has abruptly stopped showing up to the farmers markets.

I rolled around in bing cherries this week. There is rogue cherry splatter staining every single corner of my kitchen (gotta love a fruit that leaves its personal signature!) That deep, blood-red colour means that they are loaded with anthocyanins, a type of antioxidant that packs a mean anti-cancer punch. Cherries also lower inflammation, a powerful factor in cancer development (among other diseases). Also, they’re cherries. It’s not like remembering to throw some kohlrabi into your basket the next time you’re at the farmers market, you’re probably eating them right now anyway. And possibly wearing some as earrings.

I have three simple and nutritious recipes this week, to make the most of cherry season, and in turn, alleviate some seasonal fruit anxiety:

Cherry Jam:

All you need is fresh, ripe cherries, lemon juice and chia seeds. That’s it! No sugar or sweetener (the cherries should be at their sweetest), no cooking, no pectin. It is thickened using chia seeds, which do a great job of this and also contain, protein, iron and lots of fibre. Enjoy it as you would any jam (from a spoon with almond butter….).

Dried Cherry Cereal:

(Chia, hemp, buckwheat)

This is a summery take on the cereal that has become popular in the last few years and costs a fortune to buy at the grocery store. I make it (combine it?) myself (suddenly affordable), and dry the fruit seasonally to add to the simple base of buckwheat, chia seeds and hemp hearts. Lots of protein, healthy fats, magnesium, and that doesn’t even include the cherry’s health stats. It is crunchy, allergen-free, and the perfect topping to a bowl of fresh fruit with a little fresh nut or seed milk.

Ground vanilla bean -adding the truest vanilla flavour without the alcohol. Friends with cherries too. (vanilla bean would be a good option, except it is sticky and would clump together. It’s better in a liquid or blended setting)

Cherry Water:

Hold onto your hats, this is a wild one! Cherry water is literally cherries, blended into your water. It is not a smoothie, because there is far more water than fruit. It still tastes like water, but with a cherry-flavoured edge. This is a great concept for staying hydrated when water is way too boring, or if treatment has left it tasting metallic to you. Try it with any seasonal fruit or herb (peaches, strawberries, mint, lemon balm, citrus zest). Hydration is so important when you have cancer (for anyone, really, especially in the summer), and sometimes a little creativity can help out in that department.

All of these recipes will work with almost any fruit substitution. If pineapples grow up the street from you (lucky!), embrace that pineapple. If you live in my climate, once blueberries take over for cherries, buy up those blueberries -plums and apricots too. When it’s time for crisp, apples, juicy pears, sweaters and mitts, play around with warmer spices such as cinnamon and ginger too. We don’t have to go there just yet, but it’s nice to be prepared.