Sour Cherry Picking in Philly

My dear friend Tracey belongs to one of Philly’s lovely community gardens. I count on her for mint and other lovely things from her plot, but best of all are the sour cherries from the community tree. Not only is Tracey delightful company with access to sour cherries, but it turns out she’s a ringer when it comes to cherry picking, you see, Tracey is a gifted tree climber. I spent a few hot mornings in July picking cherries, telling stories and getting to know her recently-located-to-Philly mother, and brand new daughter. I picked, pitted and froze about 15 quarts of cherries, so I assure you there will be lots of sour cherry recipes headed your way in the next few months, so fill your freezer now! And sign up for a community garden plot for 2015. I used the ladder. Here’s Tracey in the tree. I can tell she’s thinking about sour cherry pie. … Continue reading

Sour Cherry Pie

When sour cherries become available, I make Sour Cherry Pie. Well, first, I go cherry picking, pitting and freezing, but that’s another story. I have given you the recipe two-crust pie. It’s the Fannie Farmer recipe that my family has always used. Obviously, you could make a lattice crust, or have an open top. Even a crumble, but that would be wrong. There are lots of different pie crusts out there, but for me, the crust is very important. Different pies require different crusts. Rhubarb? Lattice. Blueberry? I don’t even like blueberry pie and I know the answer to that one. Crumble. Cherry? Two crust. It’s just the way it is. Here in PA, fortunately there are sour cherries. In California, it was almost impossible to get them. My uncle Pete was famous for hauling them home from Door County every July. That’s how good Sour Cherry Pie is, drag them through the airport good. Sour Cherry pie filling: 2 quarts cherries 1 ½ cups sugar 2-3 tablespoons flour ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ – ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper- just try it, it’s awesome! Pastry Dough (for a-9 inch pie) Make the dough. While it’s chilling, pit the cherries. Trust … Continue reading