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 going to pick strawberries with my family. Then we would come home and eat fresh berries and make pies
My favorite childhood memory (memories?) are going to the small ice-cream shop by the high school and getting the largest scoops of ice-cream ever. On especially lucky days, there would still be a couple of doughnuts left from the morning and I’d pick up a coconut doughnut to go along with my treat.
Eating big slices of watermelon and not caring in the slightest how sticky I was ;)
Those cherries look amazing! When I think of summer food, I always remember my grandpa making fried chicken (one of the few meals he cooked).
I remember growing up and eating incredibly hot, sizzling bowls of Vietnamese pho during the summer, even on the hottest days when you could see the heat radiating above the cement in the distance. My mother would still insist on making it though, bringing up her memories of Vietnam, where everyone ate pho in the morning in preparation for the long day of work ahead. Now that I’m older I can’t get enough of it, especially on the hottest days of the year in the morning when that sudden craving of summer Vietnamese basil starts kicking when I water the garden and release all its delicious anise-y smells.
FREEZIES! White colour, please.
Strawberry picking with my grandpa, and then handing the strawberries over to my grandmother for her most-delicious strawberry rhubarb pie!
We lived in the city, so no picking any fruit but my fav part of the summer was the LIMBE MAN! A little old man would come down the street with his cart and a big block of ice, he would shave some for you and ask your flavor all for 25 cents! Best part of my day!
My favorite childhood food memory is making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with my mom to pack in our lunches for the week. I don’t think I can ever get tired of PB and J sandwiches because of those memories haha.
just being kids, sitting on the patio out back, eating whole watermelons with spoons