I absolutely LOVE cherries. Artificial cherry flavour has a bad reputation, but it’s my absolute favourite fake flavour (lollipops, jello, popsicles). I love fresh cherries even more than fake ones and nothing says summer to me more than cherries. Growing up in Vancouver meant that summertimes were made for road-tripping it down to the Okanagan Valley to pick fruit at all the U-Pick orchards.
Sometimes my whole extended family would go on a camping trip together, but my favourite times were when it was just the four of us, me, my mom and dad, and Kevin. We’d pack a tent, bring some buckets and live the fruit picking life for a couple of weeks. No TV, no phones (smart phones didn’t exist back then!), just the stars, the barbecue and massive fruit orchards.
My dad would insist on driving around to all the orchards to find the best u-pick price. My mom would be more concerned about the quality of fruit and whether or not pesticides were used. Kevin and I would just be itching to get out of the van. Fruit picking is a lot of fun and a lot of hard work. Still, we were pretty quick about the whole thing – the ladder would come out, trees would be climbed, fruit would be picked. On our way home, our little van would be packed to the brim full of peaches, cherries and apricots. After the long and winding drive, we’d invite our family and friends over to help themselves to the free fruit stand we’d set up in our backyard. Those trips were always my favourite part of summer.
Sadly, I haven’t gone to pick cherries in a long time now. Happily though, my Whole Foods carries locally sourced BC cherries. I partnered up with them today to bring you this post and a giveaway! Whole Foods is giving away a $50 gift card to one lovely reader.
To enter: please leave a comment below with your favourite childhood summer food memory. Giveaway ends on July 22nd at 12AM PST. Open to US or Canadian residents only. Winner will be chosen by a random number generator. Good luck!
UPDATE: Yay! Cindy M, get ready to go shopping because you just won a $50 Whole Foods gift card! Congrats!
Easy Pistachio Cherry Tart Recipe
makes 9 tarts
- 1/2 sheet store bought puff pastry, thawed
- 1/4 cup ricotta
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons honey, or to taste
- 14 cherries, halved and pitted
- 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios
Cut the puff pastry into 9 equal pieces and poke all over with fork so they don’t puff too much in the oven. Bake according to the package. While the puff is baking, whip together the ricotta, cream cheese and honey until fluffy and smooth. Adjust to taste. When the puff is ready, cool and if needed, flatten slightly so the cherries have a nice level plane to sit on. When cool, spread with ricotta mix, top with cherry halves and chopped pistachios. Enjoy!
My favorite summer memory probably has to be the meals cooked over the campfire when we used to go camping every summer. Nothing fancy, by any standards, but we always roasted marshmallows and I still love the smell of a campfire.
Homemade ice cream. For Memorial Day, Father’s Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day and any family birthday that came up, my grandma, aunt, or dad would make wonderful flavors like Mint Chocolate Chip, Fresh Strawberry, Rocky Road, Tropical Treat (pineapple, cherry, banana)and others. Still just makes my mouth water to remember those days. The fact my grandma had a pool in her backyard just made her place THE place to be all summer long.
One of my favorite summer food memories is eating fresh blueberries with a splash of cream. We used to always spend a few weeks of the summer in TN, and my aunt would usually take us blueberry picking. We would come home and she would bake all kinds of goodies, but just eating a bowl full of the fresh berries was my favorite!
Mine is coconuts! I have distinct memories of drinking fresh coconut water in the summers. After a visit to the grandparents, my mom would stop by one of the many trucks sitting by the side of the road, filled to the brim with fresh coconuts, and select three for us. I’d watch the coconut-hawkers hack at the fruit with machetes until a straw could be inserted, then my sister and I would sit in the back of the car and chug all the coconut water. When we got home, we’d hack at the shells so that we could eat the meat inside. I love coconuts!
Getting ice cream with my parents on warm summer Sundays! I inevitably went for the fresh, delicious strawberry ice cream. What a treat it was.
Favorite summer food memory is spending all day at the pool then taking a break to eat watermelon and coconut popsicles. And then subsequently jumping in the pool to get away from the bees that would inevitably try to land on your sticky hands.
Hmm, grilled peaches with mozzarella! YUM!
What a tasty treat!! I love anything with cherries :)
This tart looks so yummy and the photos, as usual, are gorgeous! Can’t wait for your book!
As a kid, we would often travel to my cousin’s house in New Jersey, and they were lucky enough to have an ice cream truck regularly drive around their neighborhood. That never happened where I lived so I always loved visiting them so I could indulge with Mister Softee!
Nothing beat when my dad would grill chicken and slather it in his secret sauce – we’d all eat outside and listen to the cicadas hum!