Cherries for free!!! Yippee!!!
Since the season for cherries started, I have been eyeing the cherry trees in the parking lot of the compound where Armin and, now, I work. He used to tell me how he would he would pick some and eat them directly from these trees and how good they are.
Here is the story…One day about some weeks ago; I was to meet my friend, Riza, after work so we could drive together to the Asian Food store some kilometers away from where I work and where she nearby lives. Then on my way to the parking lot, I was looking for my car but it was not on the spot where I left it. Good thing before I had time to panic, I got a text from Armin saying he moved my car directly under the cherry trees. When I opened the door, a paper bag with a sticky note is waiting for me on the seat. “Pick some cherries” it said! So I asked my accomplice Riza, after coming back from our spree at the Asian Food store, to come along and pick some cherries with me. And boy, did we pick some! There must be like at least 3-4 kilos in there and that was only in my paper bag.
So now, the question is: What to do with all of these cherries??? And I googled exactly that and got some ideas, but the one that strikes me the most was the PICKLED CHERRIES…the ideas just sounded weird right? I would have never thought of cherries being pickled and quite frankly I was a bit skeptic to try it. But I have a lot of cherries and I didn’t know what to do with all of them, so I thought a little adventure won’t hurt. Now I am glad I did try it! I read a lot of recipes and combined them in the most simple way I can and of course, the quickest way to enjoy them.
Pickled Cherries are just simply and surprisingly amazing, sweet, tangy and perfectly spiced! I made two different kinds, one with the cherries that are not totally ripe yet because I like them still crunchy for snacking. Then the other with the ripe ones for serving with grilled or roasted meat or cheese board.
Pickled Cherries
Ingredients
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2-3 pieces star anise
- 5-6 pieces whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 pieces whole peppercorn
- cherries - washed with stems and stones
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients except the cherries. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Place cherries in a glass jar. Pour in enough of the liquid mixture to cover cherries and almost completely fill the jar;
- Let it cool down to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate. It is ready once it gets cool enough about 1-2 hours and best eaten within 2 weeks...
Nutrition
What do you think?