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!
When I was younger, my mom made this casserole with pasta, cheese, tomato sauce and ground beef. My sister and I called it “Yummy Junk.” Every time she made it, my sister and I would be so excited and just yell about Yummy Junk. Any similar dish just makes me think of home.
Ice cream sandwiches on a hot summer camp day.
Eating firecracker popsicles on the driveway in July–it just screams summertime!
I miss outdoor grilling with my parents and long days spent at the pool with my sister.
One of my favorite memories is making Kool-Aid every day from those powder packs. Like I needed more sugar, but hey ;)
My family would make a large pot of zaru soba and we would each have our own bowl of dipping sauce with ice cubes to chill it further. When I think back at what food memory stands out most from my childhood summers, it would be this.
I remember making homemade cherry and blueberry pies with my mother when I was younger. I loved to make the crumble to go on top.
I loved eating at my grandparents house in the summer. My grandma always made homemade fresh pasta. It was delicious!
4th of July BBQs in the backyard with Dad!
My mother would pull out the electric old-school ice cream maker and churn homemade buttermilk pineapple sherbet! Oh, wow, just thinking about it is making my mouth water!