Pie Cherries
Two words that sing of summer. Pie cherries.
Yesterday from my friend, Robin:
“Sour Cherries. Come pick some…my tree is loaded!”
How can anyone resist words like these? Certainly not me.
With address in hand, I find her sweet house on a shade-tree covered street. On the side a partially open gate and magnificent pie cherry tree beckon to me.
Cherries.
Red cherries.
Ripe red pie cherries.
Robin does not exaggerate. This tree is laden with fruit at its peak.
I pick one and pop it into my mouth. Sweet and sour; a perfect blending. Um yum.
One cherry, two cherry, three cherry more…
I feel like I am in a Dr. Seuss story.
“Kate in Pie-Cherry Land.”
I want as many as I can reach…and more.
I see the ladder set against the wall of the flat roof garage. Dare I?
Oh yes!
With basket over my arm, I climb and pick. Higher still. The late afternoon wind rustles the leaves. I climbed out onto the top of the roof.
This is great! I am reaching incredible swaths of cherries. Branches with bright red cascading “grapes”.
Pick, pick, pick.
Late afternoon sun is streaming through the leaves. Flavor. Essence. Experience. I am having an OMG moment.
Heavy basket now. Pies are calling to me. Down I climb.
I say thank you to the tree and soil, the ladder, roof and Robin. Close the gate and head for home, nourished and full.
Best of Show Cherry Pie (Recipe)
i love your celebration of my beautiful tree and the picking of it’s sweet fruit!
It means that much more sharing it with the Goddess of Pies!
Oh, so lovely. I can’t wait to make a cherry pie! 🙂
K8 —success—you sent me to the dictionary on this blog posting to remember what umami means: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umami
Your blog captures your delightful spirit, thank you.
Hi Kate, I have a neighbor with a pie cherry tree, and I’ve picked everything I can reach clean. Do you know where to buy pie cherries in Seattle? Or what farms on this or the east side of the mountains grow them?
I’m very excited to find your website. I too am a Kate who lives in Seattle and loves to make pie.
Can you borrow a ladder?
Pie cherries are hard to come by unless you are lucky enough to either have or know someone who has a tree. I haven’t seen any commercially available.
I’ll be keeping my eye out for some at the Seattle Farmers’ Markets. If I find some, I’ll leave some for you!
What I need is a friend in the telephone pole business so I can borrow a cherry picker! And if I find any at the farmers market I’ll leave some for you too 😉
Thanks,
K
There’s a farmer who sells them at the University District farmers market. I bought some a few years ago. They’re not cheap–$12/lb!! That’s what forced me to plant my own trees.
I sure know that feeling!
I just spent a few days in Michigan touring cherry orchards, eating tart cherries from the tree, and of course eating lots of pie! Being from California, I had never tasted a fresh tart (a.k.a. sour) cherry or even seen them growing on a tree. I fell in love with the amazing flavor of this fruit and am now trying to figure out how to at least find some frozen ones! Beautiful photo!
I can taste them,even eight years later…
The best!