Saturday, July 25, 2009

I'm loving-Fresh picked cherries from our own yard

About a month and a half ago I took this picture so that my friend's could admire the beautiful apple blossoms I had bloom throughout my yard.

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As the weeks passed hard little green fruits appeared on the branches. I told kids not the eat the fruits because I assumed that it was a decorative apple tree. A few days ago, Mike called me out to examine the fruits more closely. Overnight they seemed to have gone from little hard green fruits wonderfully ripe CHERRIES.

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We picked to our hearts content but then quickly came to realize that cherries need to be used pretty quickly. Not really knowing what to do with them, and not wanting to waste them (as I was just a guest blogger on 3 Boys & a Dog talking about living green frugally), I decided to experiment. Feeling a little inspired, I decided to try making something with them but figured that they would be too tart to really enjoy. However, the result was delicious so I've decided to share my recipe for "Summer Harvest Crumble".

Summer Harvest Crumble


(as always my measurements are approximate. I also tried to make this recipe quite healthy and don't feel that it takes away from the end result at all...but if you are whole food phobic then feel free to make it with white flour/sugar)

2 cups of pitted fresh cherries
2 cups of other fruit (I used strawberries and peaches as I was going for a summertime feel)
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup of white sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups oats
3 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1/2 butter melted
1/4 cup of brown sugar

1. In a small saucepan heat pitted cherries over low heat.

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2. Add two cups of fruit of your choice.

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3. Add honey and white sugar (you can use only honey if you wish). Bring to a boil over medium low heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.

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4. Separate fruits from their juices and save juice to use as a syrup. Place fruits in an 8 x 8 baking dish.

5. Make a crumble mixture with flour, oats, flax seeds, melted butter and brown sugar.

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6. Spread crumble over fruit mixture and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

7. Serve warm or cold with vanilla ice cream and the reserved syrup.

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ENJOY!!

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