So sweet....

It's a cherry year! So sweet. I find myself going out frequently to the rapidly ripening fruit and admiring the ruby red jewels dangling from their spurs. I pop a few into my mouth testing for  that perfect blend of sweet nectar with true tart cherry flavor. The real thing.

And I'm not the only one sampling the juicy treats. Despite my netting (which requires a ridiculous amount of effort on my part), an average of one bird a day finds the tiniest opening in. I then create a large escape hole which for some reason takes the feathered friend quite a bit longer to locate (or perhaps the bird is simply lingering to get a few more cherries down before flying off).

Stocking up....! The first batch of cherries to preserve for the next year (or often two or three). Five and a half pounds of cherries from the Stella tree (just a drop in the bucket) pitted one at a time, produce 3 quarts of cherries to pop in the freezer. These are great for tarts and pies of course, but my personal favorite is to blend them with with other garden treasures in a cool refreshing smoothie.