Orchard Talk

Red Haven peaches

RED HAVEN PEACHES: Red Haven is the all-time favorite of peach lovers for both canning and eating fresh. They are freestone, which means that the fruit comes free from the stone when peeled. Other areas of the country may grow more peaches than we do, but Michigan peaches are renowned for their rich flavor and juiciness.

Market price 99 cents per pound; $15.00 per 1/2 bushel.
U-Pick $13.00 per 1/2 bushel.

We’re having a close-out sale on Garnet Beauty (semi-cling) peaches.  $8.00 per 1/2 bushel.

APRICOTS:
Market price $4.00 per quart; $9.00 per 1/2 peck; $15.00 for 10 pounds; $24.00 per lug
U-Pick price $1.25 per pound. Pick 20 pounds or more for $1.00 per pound.

NECTARINES:
Market price 99 cents per pound; $4.50 per ½ peck; $7.50 per peck; $15.00 per ½ bushel.
U-pick price $7.00 per peck, $13.00 per 1/2 bushel.

CUCUMBER SPECIAL:
$5.00 per 1/2 bushel for our delicious slicing cukes

Tags: canning peaches, michigan peaches, peach orchards, peaches, red haven peaches

Take the Cherry Challenge (page 60 of the September 2009 issue of Prevention magazine or see our 8/25 blog post) then scroll down to check your answers.

Answers:

1-C:  Melatonin is a naturally occurring antioxidant in Tart Cherries that helps maintain normal sleep patterns. Tart cherries are one of the few known food sources of melatonin. Dr. Russel Reiter, a leader in melatonin research, gives tart cherries high marks for their melatonin content. “We were surprised at how much melatonin was in cherries, specifically the Montmorency variety,” says Reiter.  “Cherry juice concentrate, which involves greatly reducing the water content, has ten times the melatonin of the raw fruit.”

2-B: Montmorency dried tart cherries were certified heart healthy by the American Heart Association.

“Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans today, so it’s important we continue researching ways people can improve their diet to help reduce key risk factors,” said Dr. Steven F. Bolling, a cardiac surgeon at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center who also heads the U-M Cardioprotection Research Laboratory. “We know excess body fat increases the risk for heart disease. This research gives us one more support point suggesting that diet changes, such as including cherries, could potentially lower heart disease risk.”

3-B:  Yes. Research indicates tart cherries have substantial amounts of potent antioxidants including melatonin and anthocyanins. These and other compounds found in tart cherries are believed to maintain healthy joints and a healthy cardiovascular system, among other benefits.

4-C:  Tart cherry juice after a workout is the way many athletes speed muscle recovery.

5-C:  ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (measuring the antioxidant capacity of foods). We sent King Orchards Montmorency tart cherry juice concentrate to Brunswick Labs in Massachusetts for antioxidant testing. Their lab results reflected 7,077 ORAC units per one ounce of cherry juice concentrate.

So, how’d you do? We’d like to know.

Tags: antioxidants, Cherries, cherry juice, cherry juice concentrate, healthy joints, heart healthy, michigan, michigan tart cherries, montmorency, muscle recovery, tart cherry juice

As seen in the September 2009 issue of Prevention magazine.

CHECK OUT YOUR CHERRY SMARTS!

1. Melatonin is:

A. The color of a melon.

B. A mythical Greek goddess.

C. A naturally occurring antioxidant in Tart Cherries that helps maintain normal sleep patterns.

2. Were Montmorency Dried Tart Cherries certified heart healthy by the American Heart Association?

A. I don’t think so.

B. I know so.

3. Do Tart Cherries help sustain healthy joints?

A. No.

B. Yes.

4. What helps speed post-exercise muscle recovery?

A. More exercise.

B. A Boston cream donut.

C. Tart Cherry Juice.

5. Montmorency Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate has an ORAC rating of over 7000 units per serving, making it very healthy indeed. ORAC:

A. Vacuums your floors.

B. Is a global intelligence-gathering satellite system.

C. Stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (measuring the antioxidant capacity of foods)

Tart Cherries:

The Answer to Everything

Check tomorrow’s blog update (8/26/2009) for answers.

Tags: antioxidants, Cherries, cherry concentrate, cherry juice, healthy joints, heart healthy, melatonin, michigan tart cherries, montmorency, muscle recovery, normal sleep patterns, ORAC, tart cherries

Help! We’re being overrun by cucumbers!!!

If we can’t get to the phones, it’s because we can’t make it through the mountains of pickling and slicing cukes we’ve harvested from our gardens. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to plant 5 acres

Here’s what we’re offering this week:

Veggies: Now available at both markets: good quality slicing cukes (not too fat) and pickling cukes (sand-free). Our sweet corn is here: golden fresh and sweet. We also have lots of our own zucchini and summer squash in the market, plus amazing melons, juicy tomatoes and crisp, tasty peppers direct from Bay City.

Cherries: Last chance for delicious, fresh tart cherries. Get ‘em while you can, most likely through the middle of the week. If you absolutely can’t make it by then, you’re still in luck. We’re now offering frozen pitted tart cherries and sweet cherries as well. So many ways to enjoy this Northern Michigan favorite… What’s yours?

Peaches: Our Early Glo peaches are ready for picking. These are sweet and delicious; great for eating! Just a little while longer for the Red Haven canning peaches, which we’re expecting the last week of August.

Nectarines: They should be ready around the same time as the Red Havens. So far, it’s looking like the last week of August to enjoy these.

Apricots: The apricots are delicious and firm, still going strong. Come and U-Pick or find them ready to go at the market.

Blueberries: Direct from West Olive, we’re got luscious, plump blueberries-great for eating and making desserts.

Flowers: We have big, beautiful sunflowers available to U-Pick and in our market. We also have a plethora of statice: a bright, colorful way to brighten up your home or office.

Tags: apricots, Cherries, cherry orchard, cherry picking, Crop Updates & Orchard Talk, fresh cherries, fresh tart cherries, In the Markets, nectarines, peaches, pick your own, sweet corn, traverse city, u-pick, u-pick apricots, u-pick cherries, u-pick peaches

Dipping Day: From now through the weekend you will be able to come and scoop out as many tart cherries as you wish from our shaking tanks without having to pick them yourself! Only 85 cents/pound, same as U-Pick!

Fresh Pitted Tart Cherries/U-Pick: We will be having these through the weekend until the shaking is done. Give us a call and we will save you some (toll free 877-937-5464). However, you will be able to get frozen pitted tart cherries in the market through the winter.

Peaches: We have all been impatiently waiting for these and we finally got word from Jim that the Early Glo peaches will be ready this weekend! These are semi-cling, better for eating rather than canning. The Red Havens should be following a week or so after.

Nectarines: They should be ready in 2 weeks, but hopefully sooner!

Apricots: Apricots will be going strong throughout the weekend. They are beautiful and we have some amazing U-Pick at the market!

Veggies: We have our own pickling cukes. They are awesome, so get canning those pickles! We also have lots of our own zucchini in the market. Bay City has brought in some amazing sweet corn and melon. We should be getting our own sweet corn soon.

Now that Balaton Cherry season is here, we thought it would be fitting to post some great Balaton Cherry recipes (Montmorency cherries will work, too) for you to try.

Balaton cherries are an excellent choice for recipes calling for Morello cherries. These cherries are very popular in traditional Eastern European cooking. The Balaton is  somewhat firmer than the Montmorency cherry (the traditional pie cherry) and the juice and flesh are both darker. Their firmer texture and “sweet-tart” flavor makes them a favorite of gourmet chefs.

Let us know how they taste and please feel free to share any of your own recipes with us.  Thanks and enjoy!!

Makes 12 to 15 servings of Croatian Sour Cherry Strudel

Prep Time:  60 minutes

Cook Time:  45 minutes

Ingredients:

****Strudel Dough****

- 1/2 cup of lukewarm water

- 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar

- 3/4 teaspoon of salt

- 2 cups of all-purpose flour

- 1 tablespoon of cold butter

- Melted butter

- Flour for rolling

****Cherry Strudel Filling****

- 8 cups of washed, stemmed, pitted sour cherries

- 2 teaspoons of grated lemon rind (optional)

- 1  1/2 to 2 cups of sugar or to taste

- 3/4  cup of ground (not chopped) walnuts

- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Preparation:

1.  In a small bowl, mix water, vinegar and salt.  Place flour in a large bowl and cut the butter in as for pie dough.  Add water mixture and stir by hand for about 5 minutes or until dough becomes smooth.

2.  Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, adding as little extra flour as possible.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, prepare the cherry filling by combining the cherries, lemon rind (if using) and sugar in a large bowl.  Set aside.

4.  Cover a large table with a tablecloth (it will become stained from the fat in the dough, so use and old tablecloth).  Sprinkle the cloth generously with flour.  Place the dough in the center of the cloth and brush it with melted butter.  Roll the dough to an 1/8-inch thickness.

5.  Begin stretching the dough either over the backs of your hands or palm-side up, whichever works best for you.  Work quickly, continually lifting the dough and stretching it by pulling your hands apart until it is almost paper thin and drapes over the sides of the table.  Using kitchen shears, trim off the thicker outer edges of the strudel dough.

6.  Place rack in middle of oven and pre-heat to 4oo degrees.  Brush the dough liberally with melted butter.  Place the cherry filling along one long edge in a 3″ wide strip, 2 inches from the edges.  Sprinkle ground walnuts over the filling.

7.  Using the tablecloth to roll the strudel away from you, jellyroll fashion, until it is completely rolled.   Brush the top of the strudel with melted butter.  Cut into sections that will fit your baking sheets and tuck in ends of strudel.

8.  Place parchment on baking sheets and transfer strudel sections to them, seam-side down.  Bake 10 minutes,  reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake 20 to 25 minutes more or until strudel is crisp and golden.

9.  Remove from oven, cool slightly and then cut on an angle into slices.  Dust with confectioners’ sugar.  You may also cool completely to make the slicing easier and then rewarm in a microwave.  Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve as is or with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.

Tags: fresh tart cherries, strudel recipe, tart cherries, tart cherry recipes

Makes 6 servings of Hungarian Sour Cherry Soup

Prep Time:  10 minutes

Cook Time:  20 minutes

Ingredients:

-6 cups of water

-1 pound of fresh sour cherries, pitted

- 3/4 cup of sugar

- 1 cup of sour cream

- 2 tablespoons of flour

- 1/4 teaspoon of salt

- 1 teaspoon of confectioner’s sugar

Preparation:

1. In a large saucepan, cook cherries with water and 3/4 cup of sugar until done, about 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium  bowl, mix sour cream with flour, salt and confectioners’ sugar until smooth.

3. When cherries are done, temper the sour cream mixture with a few ladles of hot cherry liquid, whisking until smooth.  Transfer to the pan with the cherries and whisk until smooth.  Simmer 5 minutes, but do not boil.

4. Cool to room temperature in an ice water bath.  Place plastic wrap directly  on the surface of the soup (so a skin doesn’t form) and refrigerate until cold.  Serve cold as a first course as they do in Hungary or as a dessert with a dollop of sour cream or whipped cream.

Tags: hungarian cherry recipes, meggyleves recipe, sour cherry soup

Tags: cherry cobbler, cooking with cherries, fresh cherries, Fresh Cherry Recipes, tart cherries

1 tablespoon dried tart cherries

1 small onion

1 clove garlic

3 tablespoons fruit-flavored vinegar

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 tablespoon honey

1/3 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Chop cherries, onion and garlic in food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Add fruit-flavored vinegar, orange juice and honey; puree. With food processor on, slowly add olive oil; mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tags: Cherries, cherry recipes, dried cherries, michigan, michigan cherries, tart cherries, tart cherry recipes