Orchard Talk

Ingredients:

Cherry "Red Eye" Mojito

2 1/2 teaspoons super fine granulated sugar

3 Tablespoons tart cherry juice

12 mint leaves

Squeeze of fresh lime juice

1 ounce white rum

1/2 cup soda or seltzer water

Ice

Directions:

Place 6 mint leaves in a tall glass. Crush mint leaves with a muddler, or with the back of a spoon. Add sugar, tart cherry juice, lime juice, white rum and ice. Mix well. Finish drink with soda water and remaining mint leaves. Stir to combine and serve.

Yield: 1 serving.

Tags: cherry juice, cherry recipes, tart cherry recipes

For a subtle spice flavor add 1 cinnamon stick to the boiling water along with the tea bags. Discard the cinnamon stick along with the tea bags.

Ingredients:
4 cups boiling water
4 orange pekoe or English breakfast tea bags
1/4 cup sugar or sugar substitute*
1 cup tart cherry juice (2 tbl. cherry juice concentrate plus 7 ounces water)

Directions:
Add tea bags to boiling water. Let stand 10 minutes. Discard tea bags; stir in sugar until dissolved. Stir in cherry juice. Chill at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. Pour over ice in tall glasses. Makes 4 servings.

*Note: Follow package directions on sugar substitute, using suggested amounts to replace ¼ cup sugar.

Nutrition Info:
Nutrition Information per serving: 84 calories, 0 g total fat, 21 g carbohydrate, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 g protein, 0 g fiber, 15 mg sodium. Daily Values: 0% vitamin A, 0% vitamin C, 2% calcium, 2% iron

Nutrition Information per serving with sugar substitute: 74 calories, 0 g total fat, 18 g carbohydrate, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 g protein, 0 g fiber, 15 mg sodium. Daily Values: 0% vitamin A, 0% vitamin C, 2% calcium, 2% iron

Tags: cherry juice, tart cherry recipes

Ingredients:
For couscous:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup minced yellow onion
1 1/2 cups fat free low sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
5 ounces whole-wheat couscous (about 1 cup)
For dressing;
1 tablespoon cherry juice concentrate
1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons canola oil

For salad:
1/2 cup chopped dried tart cherries
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped pistachios
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:
Prepare couscous:
In a quart saucepan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion and sauté for about 3 minutes or until softened. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add couscous, stir, cover and remove from heat. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl to cool.

Prepare dressing:
In a small bowl, whisk together cherry juice concentrate, lemon juice and mustard. Whisk in oil until emulsified. Set aside.

Assemble:
Add dressing and remaining ingredients to the couscous and mix well. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Info:
Calories 142, Total Fat g 6, Sat Fat g 0, Chol mg 0, Sodium mg 180, Total Carb g 21, Fiber g 3, Sugars g 7, Protein g 3

Tags: cherry juice, cherry recipes, dried cherries

Try this Easy & Healthy Cherry Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup non-fat plain or vanilla yogurt
1 ripe banana, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup King Orchards Montmorency Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate
1 cup crushed ice

Put yogurt, banana, orange juice, cherry juice concentrate and crushed ice in the container or an electric blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Serve immediately. Makes 2 (8 ounce) servings.

Notes: This smoothie can be frozen in popsicle containers. Serve as a frozen treat, or allow to thaw and drink as a smoothie.

Tags: cherry juice, cherry recipes, cherry smoothie

Ingredients:

2 medium sweet potatoes (7-8 ounces each)
2 tablespoons King Orchards Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate (undiluted)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter or brown sugar, melted
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 green onion, sliced

Scrub potatoes and halve lengthwise, do not peel. Spray a baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place potatoes, cut-side down, in pan. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven 30 to 40 minutes, until almost tender.

Stir together cherry juice concentrate, brown sugar, butter, and ginger. Turn potatoes cut-side up and brush with cherry mixture.

Bake 5 to 10 minutes, or until tender. Sprinkle with green onion. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Tags: cherry juice, cherry recipes, Recipes

Ingredients:

6 fluid ounces lemon juice, fresh squeezed
4 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
24 fluid ounces water
4 fluid ounces King Orchards Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate

Combine the lemon juice and the sugar. Stir to dissolve. Add the water and cherry juice concentrate and stir. Serve over ice.

notes:  We add cherry juice concentrate to store-bought lemonade too. It’s a great cooler on a hot summer day!

Tags: cherry juice, cherry recipes, Recipes

According to McCormick’s Flavor Forecast for 2009 Tart Cherry and Cayenne Pepper are the hot new flavor pairing for 2009. In honor of the occasion, here is a lovely recipe I found in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which calls on tart cherry juice concentrate to provide the perfect tart cherry flavor.

Beef and Cherry Satay
Makes 16 appetizer-size servings

Peanut dipping sauce:
2/3 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons cherry juice concentrate
1/3 cup peanut butter

Satay:
1½ pounds beef round, fat trimmed
2 tablespoons sesame oil
¼ cup soy sauce
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¾ cup cherry juice concentrate
1 tablespoon dehydrated onions

Cook’s note:  Marinate beef a day in advance (about 24 hours).

Preliminaries: You’ll need wooden skewers, which you should soak in water a day in advance.

Make the dipping sauce: Mix together chicken stock and cherry juice and simmer 15-20 minutes. Add peanut butter and stir until blended. Set aside and reheat before serving.

Prepare the beef: Cut beef into strips 1- to 2-inches wide, then into ribbons across the grain about ¼-inch thick. Mix well with remaining satay ingredients and marinate in refrigerator 24 hours.

Grill the beef: Thread strips in and out on skewers. Grill briefly, to your preferred doneness, over medium heat.

Presentation: Reheat dipping sauce and serve with skewers.

Source: Adapted recipe from Northwestern Michigan College Culinary Arts Department.

Tags: cherry juice, recipe, Recipes

Here’s a festive and simple holiday punch recipe, courtesy of the Cherry Marketing Institute. For a festive garnish, add a pitted cherry and a slice of orange on a cocktail pick to each glass.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups tart cherry juice (mix 1.5 ounces of King Orchards Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate with 10.5 ounces water)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup orange liqueur such as grand marnier, curacao or cointreau
1 bottle (750 ml) champagne or sparkling wine

Directions:
In a large pitcher, combine cherry juice, orange juice and liqueur. Chill at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Just before serving stir cherry mixture. Tilt pitcher; slowly pour in champagne. Stir gently. Serve in champagne flutes or wine glasses. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition Info:
Nutrition Information per serving: 63 calories, 0 g total fat, 8 g carbohydrate, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 g protein, 0 g fiber, 3 mg sodium. Daily Values: 0% vitamin A, 10% vitamin C, 0% calcium, 0% iron

Tags: cherry juice, cherry punch, recipe

We just received results from our recently-conducted nutritional analysis of King Orchards Montmorency Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate. Independent lab evaluations revealed that our tart cherry juice concentrate provides over 7000 ORAC units and 330 mg of Anthocyanins per one-ounce serving.

Antioxidant strength is measured in Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) units. ORAC measures how many oxygen radicals a specific food can absorb and deactivate. The more oxygen radicals a food absorbs, the higher its ORAC score.

Anthocyanins are what provide cherries their distinctive red color and may hold the key to the health benefits locked inside. These rich, red pigments that give cherries their color are a type of phytonutrient known as flavonoids, which have been linked to a variety of health benefits.

Already, nutritionists and sports enthusiasts have recognized the powerful antioxidant profile of Montmorency cherries, and are incorporating them into their fitness regimens. The British Cycling Team, for example, credits cherry juice as one of the secrets to their phenomenal success – 15 Gold Medals! – in the Beijing Olympics. They drink Montmorency Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate from CherryActive in the UK.

According to a recent article in the Scotsman:

GB Secrets Can Lead to Success in Velodrome… From new equipment to diet – the consumption of vast quantities of cherry juice being one example – they are at the cutting edge of innovation.

And from The Independent:

The Ride of Their Lives: Britannia Rules the Wheels: Lottery millions, laser scans, the latest in sports psychology, and a daily dose of Montmorency cherries… “Nutritionists advise the riders on diet. The British team consume large quantities of fish oils and juice from Montmorency cherries. As antioxidants, they help the muscles to recover more quickly after strenuous exercise.”

We can’t promise Olympic gold, but we’ll do our best to keep providing delicious and nutritious 100% tart cherry juice concentrate as efficiently and affordably as we can. Cheers!

Tags: cherry juice, cherry juice concentrate, tart cherry juice, Tart Cherry News

We are often asked about whether you can make tart cherry jelly of your own using our Montmorency Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate. Norma I. was kind enough to email Betsy with an answer.

Betsy,

I had promised you info regarding using your tart cherry juice concentrate in making cherry jelly.

Norma I.
Hoover, AL

I used 1 1/2 cups concentrate with 3 1/2 cups water to reconstitute the concentrate for juice for jelly. I always follow the recipe in the liquid CERTO box. I did the same as I always have when using the IQF cherries in the past (having had to heat, mash, and strain them for juice) with splendid results.

Now you will have an answer for future customers regarding using your concentrate for jelly-making. (This particular recipe did not require all the juice I had reconstituted as the recipe calls for 3 1/2 cups juice.)

I will be ordering more of your concentrate in the future.

Thanks, Norma!

Tags: cherry juice, tart cherry recipes