Orchard Talk

Andy Ross of the Wooster Square Cherry Blossom Festival shares his personal size cherry pie recipe featuring King Orchards IQF Montmorency tart cherries.

This recipe makes six personal size cherry pies. (5 inch pie tins)

Filling
5 C of fresh frozen unsweetened cherries or three 15 oz cans of tart. I use cherries fresh frozen from King Orchards brand or their canned tart cherries.
1 Tbls of organic tapioca starch or corn starch
3 C of superfine sugar.
1 Tbls lemon juice
1 tsp almond extract

Bottom Crust
1 C of crushed gram cracker crumbs plus some for dusting pans. I prefer Nabisco.
4 Tbls unsalted butter

Upper crust
1 box of prepared crust from either Pillsbury of store brand such as Stop & Shop.
1/8 C of extra virgin light olive oil
1/8 C of superfine sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375. Thaw the cherries and drain them well. Reserve the cherry juice for shakes or mixing with seltzer. Mix the cherries with 2 cups of the sugar, let sit and drain again. Mix in the tapioca or corn starch, almond extract and lemon juice and the balance of sugar to taste. Let them sit for 15 minutes while you prepare your crust and gram cracker crust bottom.

Take your small tin pans and spray them with butter flavored Pam or grease them with butter. Then dust the sides and bottom of the tins with gram cracker crumbs.

Melt the butter and mix it with 1 cup gram cracker crumbs. Take the dusted pans and place the gram cracker mixture on the bottom about 1/8 thick. Press the gram cracker mixture with a spoon until compacted. Place in freezer for 15 minutes to chill before filling.

Roll out you prepared pie crust and use one of the tins as a template cutting out a circle. You should be able to cut out three upper crusts per roll. Take your cherry mixture and scoop it out with a slotted spoon to leave any excess liquid behind and fill the tin piled a little high but not too high. Place the crust over the tin. Use fork tines to press down the edges of the upper crust against the tins. Carefully cut an x-shaped slit in the upper crust using a sharp knife.
Mix the olive oil with super fine sugar so you have a thick mixture. Brush the tops of the pies with the mixture using a pastry brush..

Bake the pies on a cookie sheet or directly on the rack for 35-40 minutes. The crusts should look golden brown not soggy.

Tags: cherry pie, iqf tart cherries, Our Websites, Recipes

A super mix of nutrients, perfect for a simple grab-and-go snack, lunchbox treats or breakfast on the go.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c dried tart cherries
3/4 c toasted almonds
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 c brown sugar
1/3 c honey
1/3 c granulated sugar
1 1/2 c oats
1 c wheat flour
3/4 c all purpose flour
1/4 c flax seed
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 c dark chocolate chips
1c yogurt butter

Directions:
Cream butter and sugars in a small mixing bowl. Drizzle in honey and vanilla, mix well, add eggs. Set aside.

Sift flours, powder and soda in another medium size bowl. Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Stir in oats, flax seed, chocolate, almonds and cherries.

Spray muffin pan wells with non stick spray. Place one heaping tablespoon of batter into each well.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield 2 dz.

Nutrition Info:
Nutrition Facts per cookie: 220 calories, 8 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 34 g carbohydrate, 20 mg cholesterol, 4 g protein, 3 g fiber, 150 mg sodium; Daily Values: 6% vitamin A, 0% vitamin C, 4% calcium, 6% iron

courtesy of Cherry Marketing Institute

Tags: cookie recipes, dried cherries, Recipes

Tart cherry juice has been making news headlines lately, as more studies are finding that cherry juice can help speed post-exercise recovery.  Last month,  Dave and I hit the road and headed south to represent King Orchards at the ING Georgia Marathon Health & Fitness Expo. This was an excellent opportunity for us to talk about tart cherries, and to introduce people to the great taste and wonderful nutritional qualities of King Orchards tart cherry juice concentrate.

The Health and Fitness Expo was held at the Georgia Dome the two days prior to the marathon. Race participants had to come through and pick up their numbers and race packets. It was free and open to the public, so there was a steady stream of runners, supporters, families, and members of the general public coming and going throughout the two-day event.

We had chilled cherry juice, and plenty of dried cherry samples for everyone to try. We also had several quarts of King Orchards Cherry Juice Concentrate, as well as 1 pound bags of dried tart cherries, and Red Recovery combo packs available for purchase.

We talked to thousands of people about Montmorency tart cherries and their unique nutrient profile. I think the best part was being able to share samples of our products and get so much great feedback.  Several people proclaimed, “These are the best dried cherries I’ve ever had!”

One of the nice things about being in the company of athletes and the fitness-interested is that everyone was happy to know there are no additives, no colorings, and no added sugars or sweeteners in our tart cherry juice.

Sometime it would be fun to do candid pictures or video of people’s reactions to their first taste of tart cherry juice.  Many are surprised to find the cherry juice is tart but not bitter, and describe it as sweeter and more refreshing than they imagine. We also see plenty of puckers, raised eyebrows, and exclamations of “Whoo! That’s tart!”

Our “Good for You” poster, designed by Kalmar Designs.  Doesn’t she look naturally fit & healthy as a result of regular exercise and a healthy diet which includes plenty of tart cherry juice and dried cherries?

Dave, my helper and honorary Cherry Ambassador, assisted folks with the cherry juice dispenser.  Dave was indispensable during this whole trip, providing the muscle to my madness. That was hard work, loading,  unloading and carting around cases of cherry juice, dried cherries, equipment and supplies.  Good thing he drank plenty of tart cherry juice!

Come to think of it, we both drank a lot of cherry juice over the course of  the weekend, and despite working and being on our feet for 12 hour stretches, we felt remarkably good and not too sore to go out exploring a little bit of Atlanta in the evenings.  That’s food for another blog, but I will say this: If  loving hot donuts and The Varsity chili dogs and onion rings is wrong, I simply can’t be right all the time.

We were so busy both days that we didn’t get to explore all the other vendors’ booths, but we did meet some great folks in our vicinity. We were across from All3Sports (we are seriously thinking about springing for the compression socks they sell for hiking and camping), next to the Children’s Tumor Foundation (Dedicated to improving the health and well being of individuals and families affected by the neurofibromatosis), and down the lane from The Arthritis Foundation Joints in Motion Team (they train folks to run and walk marathons, and raise funds and awareness on behalf of the Arthritis Foundation to fight arthritis), Women’s Running Magazine, and Sweaty Bands (who says you can’t be stylish as you sweat?).  Everyone was incredibly friendly and enthusiastic about their work and how it promotes well-being, health and fitness.

Kudos to all the marathon participants, and thanks to all who stopped by our booth. We had a great time meeting everyone, and were thrilled to see so many people with roots and family in Michigan.  A special thank you to Marie Spano, MS, RD/LD, FISSN, CSCS, who was kind enough to mention King Orchards tart cherry juice during her presentation at the Runners Lounge.

Cheers!
Patty

Tags: dried cherries, marathons, muscle recovery, Our Websites, tart cherry juice

What a glorious morning! If you’re out and about enjoying this gorgeous sunny day, be sure to stop in the M-88 market and say hello.

King Orchards M-88 Market. We're Open!

We’ll be sampling:

Cheerful Cherry Yogurt Parfaits: A little bit of homemade granola layered with dried fruit (including cherries), tart cherries (thawed from IQF),  and lowfat yogurt.  So yummy you’ll forget it’s good for you.

Slices of Cherry Pie: If you haven’t ever tried one of Rose’s famous cherry pies, you have to stop in and see what you’re missing. Rumor has it a certain Croc wearing celebrity chef was spotted leaving the Kewadin bakery last summer with the Balaton version in hand.  Molto yummy.

3 Varieties of Dried Tart Cherries

Dried Tart Cherries: Try a few apple juice sweetened or traditional sugar infused dried cherries, and let us know which you prefer. We have lots of recipes to share, too.

Tart Cherry Juice: Naturally, you’ll want to try our signature product, King Orchards Montmorency tart cherry juice concentrate. If you want, we can give a dissertation on all the healthful properties of Montmorency tart  cherries.  But only if you want.

Frozen Tart Cherries: Both Balaton and Montmorency cherries, thawed from IQF. This is your opportunity to see and taste both varieties and see what you think. We love both, but for different reasons.

Talking Shop

Lively Conversation: It must be the sunshine. Everyone’s in a great mood, happily chatting about truck & equipment building, jeeps, winches and what-not.

Time to stock up on spicy-sweet Balaton cherry salsa.

Don’t forget to pick up a little cherry treat to enjoy at home. Betsy has Everything Cherry on sale through February.

Betsy & Alice enjoying a visit.

Happy Free Pie Friday!

This afternoon, while enjoying a coffee break & Rose’s cherry cheesecake, we took an informal survey here at King Orchards.

“If there was one thing you’d like everyone to know about King Orchards tart cherry juice concentrate, what would it be?”

Here is what we learned from each other, and what we’d like you to know:

Jim:  “It takes approximately 20 to 25 pounds of tart cherries to make one quart of King Orchards tart cherry juice concentrate.”

John:  “Tart cherry juice concentrate is the least expensive and most efficient way to get tart cherries.”

Betsy:  “To establish a routine of drinking tart cherry juice, think about your personality. Do you like to have a glass of orange or apple juice in the morning or the afternoon? Consider adding a tablespoon or two of cherry juice concentrate to your daily glass of juice. Are you a smoothie drinker? Cherry juice is an easy and nutritious addition to any smoothie recipe. Like a cool, sweet drink? Try adding a bit of cherry juice concentrate to store-bought or homemade lemonade.”

Patty:  “Sometimes I get so enthusiastic about promoting tart cherry juice concentrate as a healthy drink, I forget to tell people how delicious it is! It is bright and refreshing simply mixed with water and poured over ice. Tart cherry juice concentrate also makes an excellent mixer. A little KO tart cherry juice concentrate, some water, soda water or sparkling wine, a little vodka (or not), and a squeeze of lime, and Voila! You have a tasty, smooth and semi-sophisticated beverage.”

Jésus Sr and Maria:  The cherry juice concentrate is so good, they’ll be taking some with them on their vacation to Guatemala this month, to share with friends and family. Not in their carry-on luggage, of course.

Jésus Jr:  There are only 18 days left in our National Cherry Month sale on Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate. During all of February, we’re offering quarts of tart cherry juice concentrate at the sale price of $12.99 instead of $13.99. That means we can ship 3 quarts of cherry juice anywhere in the U.S., including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and APO addresses for less than $50!

Daisy:  She loves Hip Bones, but we have heard from many people who bake tart cherry juice into homemade dog biscuits (Dogs can use tart cherries to maintain healthy joints too.)

Mike King: There must be something to this tart cherry juice muscle recovery stuff, because his ski coaches keep telling him he should be drinking it while training for races.

Rose: “I’ve had customers tell me all kinds of cool ways to use tart cherry juice concentrate. Drizzle it over oatmeal to make your healthy breakfast taste a lot like cherry pie. Mix it into vanilla yogurt for a classic, soothing flavor combo.”

Is there something you would like to know about tart cherry juice, or do you have a recipe or helpful hint you’d like to share?  We would love your feedback. Feel free to comment here at Orchard Talk, or contact us toll-free at 1-877-937-5464.

Tags: cherry recipes, Powered by Red, tart cherry juice

I am soooo glad it is winter! This really frees up some time for my true love, “Cooking.”  Today is a really cold day Up North so I’m going to try some Cherry Cheesecake! How can you possible mess up a Cherry Cheese Cake? Well, I am going to make it with IQF Cherries because we have tons of them. Oh, for the Non Cherry farmers out there that stands for “Individually Quick Frozen,”  they are an absolute dream to work with  (NO MUSS TO FUSS)! I will share my recipe with you, but only because it is winter and I’m weak from no Cherries! hahahah… This is called “Momma’s Cheesecake”

Momma’s Cheesecake Recipe

5 eggs – separated

1 cup Sugar

1 lb. Cream Cheese

1 cup Sour Cream

2 Tablespoons Flour

1 tsp. Vanilla

Heat oven to 275 degrees. Butter a 9″ Spring Form pan and coat with 1/2 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs (3 Full size Crackers) 1 Tablespoon of Sugar and 1/4 tsp of Cinnamon and 1/4 tsp Nutmeg.

Beat egg yolks until thick and Lemon Colored. Gradually beat in Sugar. Break up Cream Cheese and add to Egg Yolk mixture, beating until smooth. Add Sour Cream, Flour and Vanilla until smooth.

Beat Egg Whites in a glass or metal bowl – until stiff but not dry. Gently fold into cheese mixture. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 70 minutes. Turn off oven and leave for one hour (Without Opening Oven Door!! BIG SECRET!!) Top with your favorite topping when cool!

There is the recipe BUT, I use this recipe for ALL fruit filled Cheesecake also! So today I am going to just roll in a cup of Montmorency Tart Cherries that I have let thaw and drain. Then I am going to make a cherry filling to spread on the top and put a touch of whip cream for decoration only. I am using the Balaton Cherry for this mission because it keeps its shape better. It will have nice and round cherries like ‘Right off the Tree” look in my cheesecake. I can hardly wait to taste it.

With this recipe, if you are folding in fruit, make sure it is as drained as you can get it or you will get some wet spots around your fruit that you added. I just watched Julie and Julia a couple days ago so the excitement it climbing!

Tags: cherry cheesecake, cherry recipes

Rose tried these cherry pie cookies, or mini-pies,  in her bakery some time ago (much too long ago, come to think of it). They were a big hit! I am posting them here by special request.

p.s. I wonder if a person could cut little hearts in the center of the pastries for Valentine’s Day treats.

CHERRY PIE COOKIES

Ingredients:
Cherry filling (see recipe below)  – 1 1/4 cups
Prepared pie pastry
1 Large egg
1 Tbl. Water
Coarse white sugar

Directions:

Prepare cherry filling according to recipe below.

Roll pie pastry on lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Using floured cutter, cut into 4-inch diameter rounds. Re-work scraps of pastry once.

Combine egg and water; mix well. Place 1 ounce (1 tablespoon) cherry filling in center of one round. Brush edges with egg wash. top with another round. Seal edges with a fork. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining rounds.

Brush top of cookies with egg mixture. Cut slit in top to allow steam to escape during baking. Sprinkle lightly with sugar.

Bake in preheated 400 F degree conventional oven 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden. Remove from baking sheet and let cool completely on wire racks.

Cherry Filling
(with canned tart cherries)
Yield: 2-1/4 quarts   (This recipe yields a lot of cherry filling!)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 quarts   Water-pack canned tart cherries (4 pounds 5 ounces drained weight) – 6 15oz cans
1 1/2 cups   Granulated sugar
1/2 cup   Cornstarch
3/4 cup Reserved Juice or water
1 Tbl. Almond Extract

Directions:
Drain Cherries, reserving juice. Combine sugar and cornstarch in 6-quart saucepan; mix well. Stir in reserved cherry juice or water.

Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Boil 1 minute, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thickened and clear. Remove from heat. Stir in drained cherries and almond extract.

Refrigerate cherry mixture 1 to 2 hours. Cover. Mixture will keep refrigerated up to 3 days. Do not heat before using.

Use this filling to prepare Cherry Pie Cookies or other bakery recipes.

Tags: cherry pie cookies, Powered by Red

I really should title this post, “Dave did my homework.” Last night, Betsy sent me home with a can of tart cherries in water and a simple assignment. I was supposed to make the cherry dumpling recipe from MixingBowl.com, so I could write about it today as part of our “28 Days Powered by Red” Orchard Talk series.  Betsy made it last weekend with great success, and assured me it was super good and easy.

I watched “Julie & Julia” on DVD instead. Oh, the irony!

Neither a baker nor a real writer am I, but I do have one thing in common with both Julie Powell and Julia Child: a great husband.  I left him the can of cherries, a folded up recipe and a camera, and here is what he did.

Dave made the cherry sauce. He said he only used 1/2 cup of sugar, and that he would use even a little less next time, just so he could get the extra “pop” from the tart cherries. The other thing he considered was maybe adding a touch of cherry juice concentrate to the mixture to further enhance both the cherry flavor and the color.

Dave brought the cherry filling to a boil.

Dave then mixed up the ingredients for the dumpling part. We’re out of nutmeg at home, so he used cinnamon instead. Butter. Sugar. Cinnamon. No problem there.

Dave dropped the dumpling mix by spoonfuls over the cherry mixture, then did as instructed.  He covered the pot and let it cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes without looking. He said that was the hardest part, not lifting the lid.

Dave texted me at 12:48pm. “Omg c u in a minute.” A few moments later, he brought us a pot of “warm cherry goodness,” just as the recipe stated.  We all agreed it was delicious, and that it couldn’t hurt to add an extra can of cherries if like us, you’d like a little more cherry filling. The dumplings totally hold their own and then some, so this is really just a matter of preference.

Dave posed with then-half-eaten-soon-to-be-completely-eaten pot of cherry dumplings.  This 28 days of cherries thing is turning out to be great fun!

Here is the complete recipe, as published by Kim in Pueblo, CO.

Tags: cherry dumplings, cherry recipes, tart cherries in water

For the month of February (February is National Cherry Month), we will be having a sale on Cherry Juice Concentrate. Instead of 13.99 it will be 12.99 a quart. Also, if you buy a case (12 qts to a case) of Cherry Juice you will receive a free 1lb bag of our deliciously sweet All American dried tart cherries (sweetened with 100% US grown apple juice). They are great, healthy snacks and are also great for baking. If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call at 1-877-937-5464. We’ll be more than happy to answer any questions you have.
Jésus

Tags: cherry juice, cherry juice on sale, Powered by Red, tart cherries

Calling all foodies!!! February is National Cherry Month! The perfect time to try ordering some of our frozen tart cherries. We have been shipping pitted tart cherries for years however, I have done it differently every year. This year I think I have it down pat. Of course, I would like everyone to opt for next day air shipping-that is the best, but, so expensive. So I have done a little testing and here are a few hints. Cherries arriving the next day are beautiful! All of lower Michigan and some Chicago areas come next day with ground shipping. Cherries arriving in 2 days are partially frozen and only 3 or 4 tbls. of juice. Cherries arriving in 3 days will be thawed with some frost on the outside and about 1/2 cup of juice. Cherries arriving in 4 days are thawed but cold and 3/4 cup of juice. Cherries can be refrozen by spreading out in bag and laying out flat. We hope everyone wants to try some of our frozen cherries as I have 100,000 pound to sell. That is only a recipe or 2 each!

Now available in our online store!

Tags: balaton, iqf cherries, montmorency, tart cherries