Orchard Talk

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

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

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

This tart cherry muffin recipe comes courtesy of the Cherry Marketing Institute and Linda Hundt, Owner of the Sweetie Pie Pantry in Dewitt, Michigan and winner of the 2009 National Pie Championship, Best in Show for her Tom’s Cherry Cherry Berry Pie. According to Linda, “Tart cherries are the most versatile fruit to use, and products made with tart cherries are best sellers. These muffins are the most popular ones in our shop.”  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon Key lime juice
2 cups frozen (IQF) tart cherries (Canned tart cherries would work for this recipe, too)
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Glaze:
3 tablespoons cream cheese
2 tablespoons Key lime juice
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

Stir together flour, baking powder and baking soda; set aside.
In large mixing bowl, beat 3/4 cup granulated sugar and butter. Add eggs; beat 1 minute. Slowly add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to butter mixture; add lime juice. Beat on low speed until smooth.
Toss cherries 1/4 cup granulated sugar. By hand, stir cherries into muffin batter.
Grease muffin tins or line with baking cups. Fill each muffin cup three-fourths full with batter.
For regular-size muffins, bake in a preheated 375 degree conventional oven 15-20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
For jumbo-size muffins, bake in a preheated 375 degree conventional oven 30-35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

If desired, drizzle with glaze before serving. To make glaze, beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Add lime juice and confectioners’ sugar, beating until combined. Drizzle over cooled muffins.

Tags: canned cherries, cherry muffin, cherry recipes, frozen tart cherries, tart cherries

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

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

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

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

Makes about 6 servings of Hungarian Cherry Cake – Cseresznyes Lepeny

Prep Time:  30 minutes

Cook Time:  30 minutes

Ingredients:

- 1 pound of fresh, washed, stemmed and pitted sour cherries (left whole)

- 6 ounces of unsalted butter at room temperature

- 3/4 cup of granulated sugar

- 3 large eggs, separated

- 1 cup of all-purpose flour

- a pinch of salt

- 1/4 cup of bread crumbs

- vanilla sugar

Preparation:

1.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter a 10×6 inch rectangular tart pan, or a 9″ square or 9″ round  cake pan and dust with bread crumbs.

2.  In a large bowl, cream butter and half the granulated sugar until light and fluffy.  Add egg yolks and continue creaming until well incorporated.  Add the flour and salt, mixing well.

3.  With clean, grease-free beaters, whip egg whites with remaining granulated sugar until stiff.  Gently fold whites into cake batter.

4.  Transfer batter to prepared pan.  Top with cherries, stem side down.  Bake 30 minutes.  The batter will partially bubble up and cover the fruit.  Cool in pan.  Sprinkle with vanilla sugar.  Cut into squares or wedges and serve.

Tags: Fresh Cherry Recipes, fresh tart cherries, sour cherries, tart cherries