Cherries

My parents-in-law have a very healthy, fruitful cherry tree. I had no idea how very fruitful a healthy cherry tree can be till one Saturday about a month ago my husband packed us off to my in-laws and spent the morning picking cherries. As my dad said later when I told him about it, "if the cherry tree is good, you can get bored of cherries!" I honestly don't know how many kilos Hubby picked in one morning - and the tree still had plenty left!

Needless to say, I spent the following week in the kitchen, choosing the best, fattest, juiciest cherries for cherry preserves and halving and stoning the rest for cherry jam.

I learnt last year that if you pick cherries, pick 'em with the stem attached. They will last longer and won't spoil.

Nine large jars of preserved cherries. Eat them cold during the summer or warm them up for a cozy winter snack!

I had to ask Hubby to pick some more the following week so that I could bake a cherry pie for him as an anniversary gift. He didn't know, of course, he just knew he had to pick some more because I'd used all of the cherries for preserves and jam.

Last winter we finished up all of the jams and preserves I'd done the previous couple of years, so this summer I have to get enough jam and preserves ready for another couple of years! Cherry jam and preserves, check.