We have a cherry tree here on Butterfly Hill. It was gangly and had not been pruned in many years. So there were not many cherries at all. This year I decided to try and save some of the cherries for us. The birds get most of them. Flash tape was put on the lower branches we could reach. I knew that I would not keep the Crows away, but I was hopeful that it would deter them long enough that we could harvest some ourselves and in doing so prune the tree as well.
The day finally came when we could see the cherries red and ripe in the tree. So we grabbed the ladder and chain saw and pruners. And went to get em!
We were so surprised to get a full bowl of small but very sweet cherries. Now what do we do with all this bounty?
We decided to make a tincture and cherry preserves. The tincture is easy, you simply soak the cherries in alchol. The preserves were easy as well, just took a little time.
Cherry Preserves Recipe
For 2 cups of fresh cherries use 1 cup of sugar and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Cook pitted cherries over medium heat stirring constantly and mashing the fruit as you go. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes until it reaches a thicker consistency.
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