Extension celebrates sour cherries
Provided by Cornell Cooperative Extension

Last week was "cherry week" at the Bath Wednesday Farmer's Market.

Nutrition Educator Jon Sterlace created a tasty Fire-Roasted Corn and Cherry Salsa at the Cornell Cooperative Extension booth. He said most of the people who came to the booth liked cherries and appreciated learning a new way to prepare them.

"It's better than I thought it would be," said one visitor. "I just bought some cherries and was looking for a recipe to use them in."

Chef Jon served 175 samples of the cherry salsa on a day that threatened to rain all morning. Still, visitors were not deterred from attending. The shoppers are typically locals, people who work in the Steuben County Office Building, current and past attendees of various Extension programs, seniors, WIC participants, and even some seasonal people and tourists just checking out what is going on in the park.

Jon often offers to share the farmer's market booth with other agencies that Cooperative Extension partners with. This week he would like to thank the Angel Food Ministries program for sharing their tent. Jon used local organic parsley provided by PeaceWeavers Organic Community Farm and two varieties of local sweet cherries and green onions from Indian Run/Shady Maple Farm for this week's recipe.

There are two general varieties of cherries: sweet and sour. The success of your recipe will depend on choosing the right variety.

Sweet cherries are usually eaten out of hand and are larger than sour cherries. They are heart-shaped and have sweet, firm flesh. They range in color from golden red-blushed Royal Ann to dark red to purplishblack. Bing, Lambert, and Tartarian are other popular dark cherries. Sweet cherries also work well in cooked dishes.

Sour cherries are normally too tart to eat and are smaller than their sweet cousins. They are more globular in shape with a softer flesh. The Early Richmond variety is first available in late spring and is bright red in color with Montmorency soon following. The dark red Morello variety is another popular sour cherry. Sour cherries are normally cooked with sugar and used for pies, pastries, and relishes.

Cherries are available in July and August. When choosing cherries, look for fresh cherries that are clean, shiny, plump and firm with no blemishes. Sweet cherries should have firm, but not hard flesh, while sour cherries should be medium-firm. The darker the color, the sweeter the cherry. Cherries with the stems intact will have a longer shelf life. One pound of fresh, unpitted cherries converts to 2 1/3 cups of pitted, or 1 ½ cups of cherry juice.

Store unwashed cherries in a plastic bag in the refrigerator and wash just before eating. Fresh cherries should be consumed within two to four days. To prepare cherries, wash them in cold water. When cooking, cut them in half, then remove the stems and pits. To serve, you can eat cherries raw or use them in recipes for fruit salads, pies, desserts, jams and sauces. Before eating fresh sweet cherries, leave them out on the counter for a few hours as the flavor is much better at room temperature.

Cooperative Extension Horticulture Educator Stephanie Mehlanbacher says cherries can be difficult to grow in Steuben County. The best places to grow cherries would be near the lakes, at lower elevations or in warmer microclimates.However, gardeners should not be discouraged. With patience and time to care for the trees, you will be rewarded with a lot of wonderful fruit!

Cherries require consistent soil moisture and relatively high organic matter. Most sweet cherries require two different varieties of certain types to provide effective pollen. Stella and Lapins are two varieties that can pollinate themselves. Pollination takes place by wild bees, flies, beetles and other insects.

Stephanie joins Jon in the Farmer's Market booth to provide answers to your gardening questions! She suggests using food plants such as vegetables, small fruit and tree fruits as edible ornamentals. Plant them right in with your other landscape plants for a practical, beautiful landscape.

For more information about growing cherries and other tree fruit or managing pests, call 607- 664-2300 or visit the website.
This week's cherry recipe:
Fire-Roasted Corn and Cherry
Sals a Makes 24 2-Tablespoon servings

1-2 cups fresh sweet cherries
3 ears fresh corn, shucked
¼ cup chopped red onion
1 Tablespoon finely chopped
garlic
2 Tablespoons cilantro,
chopped
¼ cup lemon or lime juice
2 Tablespoons chopped
canned green chilies
Salt to taste

1. Roast each ear of corn directly over gas flame on stovetop or over gas grill (just as you would for a roasted pepper). Turn until each ear is slightly charred all around. Set aside to cool.

2. Meanwhile, pit fresh cherries and chop finely. Place in a mixing bowl. Cut corn kernels from cobs.

3. Combine corn, cherries, onion, garlic, cilantro, chilies, and lemon juice. Season with salt to taste.

Optional: If you like a hotter salsa, try jalepeno or habenero peppers.