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!
I remember eating watermelon at family picnics in the summer!
Growing up in China, I remember those hot humid days in Guangzhou, the Cantonese city. The streets were full of vendors. One time I complained to my mom that I was passing out from the heat and needed something like a Popsicle. But instead, she got me what was supposed to be “good for me”. A glass of iced herbal tea (Liang Cha in Mandarin, or Leung Cha in Cantonese), I mean, this was no Celestial Seasonings fruity, floral, light herbal tea, it was full-powered, bitter, deeply-dark and pungent liquid. Thank God the vendor had honey that he was willing to give out, lol. But now, I live in the states and there are times in the summer that I actually wish to drink one of those herbal teas! Thanks for the giveaway, love your blog~
My favourite childhood summer memory would be heading to the Pacific National Exhibition each year to enjoy our annual family feast of mini cinnamon doughnuts and cotton candy!
Cherry is my favorite, too! They don’t grow locally and so I end up paying a fortune for one bag every summer (just one–but it gets savored).
One of my favorite food memories as a kid involves shucking corn. My dad had a farmer friend who would let us have first pick of fresh corn. I remember my dad’s little pickup with the bed just filled with corn. And my brothers and sister and I would be in charge of shucking and picking out the grubs. I hated it at the time but these days I can only look back on fondness. Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles would come over and take their share. We’d make homemade, hand-churned lemon ice cream. Those were the glory days.
I love cherries too! I go cherry picking in Brentwood, CA and they have the best bing cherries I’ve ever tasted! I want to try this recipe the next time I have an excess of cherries – sadly, a rare occasion.
When I would visit my dad’s family in Pennsylvania, we would always go to a local farm known as Triple B and pick whatever was in season. Usually that meant strawberries, but I’ve also been there when they’ve had corn growing (nothing compares to fresh corn!). I used to love picking as many strawberries as I could with my friend, but the real challenge was not eating them all before we got home!
My favorite food memory from when I was a kid is eating corn on the cob, slathered in butter, outside on my parents’ deck.
I remember sitting by the campfire, surrounded by my cousins, roasting marshmallows. We hear a meager squeak from the youngest one and our heads all turn in her direction. “Can I have a napkin?” she says ever so politely, her hands in front of her face, each finger spread to reveal a web of marshmallows.
Another time one of my other younger cousins would not stop talking, and would not start listening. So much so that, when an ember lept out of the fire onto his shaved head and we screamed that his hair was on fire, he continued talking until his dad had to run over and give him a nice, firm whack on the head. The fire went out. The talking did not (sorry that ones not food related! just popped in my head)
grilled chicken and potato salad, where always favorites and memorable when the family got together during the summer.
So many good memories but I’ll always cherish picking out my favorite fruit tart from Draegers for my August birthday!