Orchard Talk

Why February for National Cherry Month? That question has been floating around our office the past few days. I believe that it has to do with George Washington cutting down a cherry tree and since we celebrate his birthday in February … My niece, Meg, pointed out that it is stupid to not have National Cherry Month in July when cherries are fresh and available, but having it in February does have a few advantages and here is how I see them:

1. The foodies of the world need something to get excited about. In Michigan there are no fresh local veggies right now and cherries, “our local state crop,” adds spice to any dish. One just needs to be creative to find great recipes, not just desserts either that use cherries.

2. In Michigan, you have to remember, we have “winter white blindness” and the thought of red cherries is so welcome.

3. February is a great month for cherry farmers to get on board. I’m sure I would not have been able to spend the time in July on marketing that I have here in February.

4. In July, people are already eating cherries. We need people to remember to use cherries in their recipes in a different month like February and March and April.

5. Cherries thickened can top yogurt or oatmeal and add color and zest. What better time to do that then February?

Whatever the reason we have National Cherry Month in February, King Orchards is happy to head the parade reminding everyone to “EAT CHERRIES”. Keep watch as we will have a fresh blog everyday in February.

Tags: cherry juice, michigan cherries, national cherry month, Powered by Red, tart cherries

There’s still time to get that last minute cherry gift out to a loved one for Christmas. If you place an order by noon on December 21st, we can get it packed up and shipped for arrival within the U.S. by Thursday the 24th.

The “Party Pleaser” (featuring chocolate covered dried cherries and our new Nuts about Cherries trail mix),  the “To Your Health” gift package (cherry juice, cherry capsules, and no-sugar dried cherries) and the “Cherry Lovers Gift Box” (with a little bit of everything cherry) are all excellent choices.  Also fantastic are our tart cherry preserves, cherry salsa, cherry butter, tart cherry pepper jelly (pour it over cream cheese, surround with crackers and voila! Instant appetizer!) and spiced tart cherry jam.

With the flat rate priority mail shipping boxes, “If it fits, it ships.” A medium box holds a nice selection of items and ships for $9.85. The larger box offers even more room and goes anywhere within the U.S. for $13.50.

Apples and cherries and chocolate, Oh my! If we work quickly, we can still get apples delivered for Christmas too, like this nice selection of Honeycrisp apples and King Orchards Montmorency cherry products that Lynn just put together for one of our customers.

Many locations are still deliverable by UPS ground shipping in time for Christmas, too. They will be delivering through Christmas Eve. You can use the map below to determine time in transit, or give us a call  toll-free at 877-937-5464 and see what we can do for you.

Happy Holidays!

Tags: Cherries, cherry juice concentrate, dried cherries, michigan cherries, michigan tart cherries, montmorency

Ingredients:
2 to 3 strips of bacon, finely diced
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup (about 1/3 pound) chopped butternut squash
2/3 cup dried tart cherries
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary or sage leaves, chopped
3 tablespoons almonds or pecans, toasted and finely ground
3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
3 tablespoons or more chicken or vegetable broth, if necessary
Salt and pepper to taste (used 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper)

Directions:
Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove to a large mixing bowl. Add butter, onion and squash to bacon drippings. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until squash is semi-soft. Add cherries and rosemary; continue cooking until squash is soft.

Add squash mixture to bacon. Stir in nuts and bread crumbs. Mix thoroughly. Add broth, one tablespoon at a time, if dressing is dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serving suggestion: Use to stuff pork chops or pork tenderloin. This is also a good stuffing for chicken breasts or Cornish hens.

Makes 1 1/2 cups or 6 (1/4 cup) servings.

Nutrition Info:
Nutrition Facts per 1/4-cup serving: 189 cal., 11 g total fat (5 g sat. fat), 20 g carbo., 20 mg chol., 3 g pro., 2 g fiber, 244 mg sodium. Daily RDA values: 100% vit. A, 15% vit. C, 4% calcium, 6% iron.

Tags: butternut squash, cherry recipes, dried cherries, michigan cherries, Our Websites, 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

1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar, divided
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cans (16 ounces each) tart cherries
1 cup dried cherries
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
4 to 5 drops red food coloring, optional
Favorite pastry for two-crust pie

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Filling: In a 3-quart saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Drain the liquid from the canned cherries into the saucepan; set cherries aside. Stir the cherry liquid into the sugar mixture until no lumps remain. Heat the mixture to boiling over medium heat, stirring frequently; continue cooking 1 minute or until mixture is thickened and slightly translucent. Remove from the heat, stir in the reserved tart cherries, dried cherries, almond extract and, if desired, food coloring.

Roll out bottom pastry between 2 sheets of lightly floured waxed paper. Place the pastry in the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan, letting the excess extend over the edge. Spoon in the cherry filling. Roll out top pastry and place over filling. Flute or crimp edges. Cut several slits in top crust to vent pie. Or, you can make a lattice top crust, whichever suits your family. Sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar onto the pastry strips. Place pie on the top rack in oven and place a baking sheet or piece of foil on lower rack to catch any drips.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and the filling bubbles. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack 15 to 20 minutes before cutting.
Makes 10 servings. From the Cherry Marketing Institute.

Tags: Cherries, cherry recipes, michigan, michigan cherries, michigan tart cherries, Recipes, tart cherry recipes, traverse city

Makes about 2 1/2 cups of Hungarian Cherry Sauce or Cseresznye Martas

Prep Time:  20 minutes

Cook Time:  20 minutes

Ingredients:

- 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

- 2 tablespoons of butter

- 1 pound of washed, stemmed, pitted sour cherries

- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice

- 1 teaspoon of sugar

- a pinch of salt

- 1/2 to 3/4 cup of half-and-half

- 2 tablespoons of sour cream

Preparation:

1.  In a medium saucepan, lightly brown flour in butter.  Add cherries, lemon juice, sugar and salt.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until thickened.

2.  In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup of half-and-half and sour cream until smooth.  If cherries have not given off a lot juices, you may need to use 3/4 cup of half-and-half instead of 1/2 cup.

3.  Temper the sour cream mixture with a ladleful of the cherry sauce.  Return the tempered sour cream mixture to the cherries, mix well and heat through on low for about 5 minutes.  Serve warm, cold or at room temperature with chicken, potatoes or game meat.

Tags: balaton cherries, cherry recipes, fresh cherries, michigan cherries, sour cherries, tart cherries, tart cherry recipes

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 stick margarine
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cup mashed bananas
1 cup drained, pitted & cut up sour cherries
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda

Cream sugar & margarine. Add eggs, cherries & bananas. Mix dry ingredients together and add to first mixture. Bake in two 9″ x 4″ greased bread pans at 350° for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Tags: Cherries, cherry recipes, michigan, michigan cherries, michigan tart cherries, Recipes, tart cherry recipes, traverse city

2 boneless pork loin chops, about 1-inch thick

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste (used ¼ teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

½ cup chopped onion

1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

1/3 to 1/2 cup dried tart cherries

2 tablespoons orange marmalade

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Dried red pepper flakes, to taste (used 1/8 teaspoon pepper)

Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet on high heat. Add pork chops; brown well, about 3 minutes per side. Remove to plate. Add onions to skillet; cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, dried cherries, orange marmalade, vinegar and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil; boil rapidly on medium heat until broth is reduced by half. Reduce heat. Add pork chops to pan to heat through, 5 to 6 minutes. (Cook pork chops longer on lower heat, if pork chops are very thick or if they have a bone in them.) Internal temperature of the pork should be about 160 degrees. Add chicken broth or water, if needed. Serve pork chops with cherry sauce spooned over them.

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

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

½ cup dried tart cherries

3 green onions, sliced

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup plain yogurt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Lettuce leaves

Chopped fresh parsley

2 to 4 croissants

Combine chicken, cherries and onions in a large bowl; mix well. In another bowl, combine mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice and pepper; pour over chicken mixture. Mix gently. Refrigerate, covered, 1 to 2 hours. Spoon chicken salad on sliced croissants; top with lettuce.

Tags: Cherries, dried cherries, michigan, michigan cherries, michigan tart cherries, Recipes, tart cherries, tart cherry juice, traverse city

1 can (16-ounce) pitted dark sweet cherries
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons hot mustard
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup dried tart cherries
6 (6 1/2 ounces each) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper to taste
6 rosemary sprigs for garnish

Heat oven to 350F. Line a 9″ x 13″ baking pan with foil and spray foil with non-stick spray; set aside.

To make the glaze: Drain the pitted dark sweet cherries; reserve 1/4 cup of cherry juice. In a blender, puree the drained cherries until smooth.

In a skillet, heat the olive oil and saute the onion and garlic until soft; add the cherry puree, reserved 1/4 cup cherry juice, honey, vinegar, mustard, ginger, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; stir until smooth. Add dried cherries; simmer 5 minutes.

Arrange chicken breasts in foil-lined baking pan; season with salt and pepper to taste. Brush chicken lightly with cherry glaze; reserve remaining glaze. Cover the pan with foil and bake chicken 20 minutes; brush with additional glaze and bake uncovered 10 to 15 minutes longer or until chicken is done.

To serve, pour 2 tablespoons warm reserved glaze over each chicken breast and garnish with a rosemary sprig. Serves 6.

Tags: Cherries, cherry recipes, dried cherries, michigan, michigan cherries, michigan sweet cherries, michigan tart cherries, sweet cherries, tart cherries, tart cherry recipes, traverse city