We had a state holiday here in Utah a week and a half ago that gave us a three-day weekend. I thought I would go to our local farmer’s market to pick up some sweet cherries – in season, and one of my absolute favorite fruits – and find some corn for a barbecue we were planning. But, when I actually got to the farmer’s market, I was dazzled by the beauty of what I saw, and starting buying up everything in site.
Who can resist a $1 bunch of radishes – gorgeously pink and fresh looking, striking purple cabbage, dainty white carrots that are offered at a discount when you buy rhubarb, or pickling cucumbers just an inch and a half long – can cukes be adorable? And, of course, there were was Chinese spinach, Swiss chard, and the Brazilian tapioca bread that had to be tasted. The crazy thing is, I don’t typically eat most of these things. Greens, yes, but radishes and rhubarb? N-e-v-e-r!
Towards the end of my stroll through the market, bags weighing heavily with 13 ears of corn and about 20 pounds of other finds, I came upon a farmer from my home town of Willard. He was selling tart pie cherries – dried, as syrup, and as pie filling – and nostalgia hit. I grew up along Utah’s Famous (not sure with whom) Fruit Highway and spent my summer’s eating fresh fruit off the trees. My mom would can Bing cherries and we would eat pies all winter long. To this day, cherry pie is my absolute favorite. But, without those homegrown cherries, home-made filling, or flaky gluten crust, pies just haven’t tasted the same since.
Tasting the dried cherries inspired me to do some canning. I spent the rest of the morning poring through new blogs and old canning books from my parents, hunting down jars, pickling salt, sugar, and a variety of other fruit, vegetables, and interesting roots like turmeric and ginger, and figuring out a plan. I spent the rest of the weekend chopping, stirring, fermenting, sun-drying, brining, boiling, and generally heating up the kitchen on already-hot July days. But, it was worth it.
Rather than a recipe, I thought I would share some photos of what I produced during my temporary madness.
