Our Bing cherry tree is loaded with cherries this year. The long, cool spring and summer have made for ideal growing conditions. Since we aren't about to let this much amazing free food go to waste, we have to get up there and pick those cherries.
BUT....there's always a "but" isn't there? But, our tree is pretty tall and we don't have an orchard ladder. Don't fear! We have it all figured out.
Kevin put his ladder on some boards on top of the garage. It's perfectly safe.....until you fall off, at least. I really wasn't all that interested in watching Kevin pick cherries, but I wanted to be there with my camera in case he fell off the roof. He would have wanted me to get photographic evidence so he could show the guys at work.
Here's an up-close and personal view of his setup. Looks good, no?
Showing off the fruits of his labor (har, har, har).
We (meaning Kevin) picked about 5 pounds of cherries and didn't even scratch the surface. We have borrowed an orchard ladder for the next few nights and plan on really stripping the fruit off. After pitting them, we decided to load up the dehydrator.
Why not just eat them fresh or freeze them? I can do so many things coming from dehydrated: pie, stew them, cobblers, crisps, sauces and just to eat in granola or for a snack. Plus, they won't take up much space to store.
Kevin loading up the last tray before we put them in the Excalibur. I just checked on them and they have a few more hours to go. I'm so excited!!
Do you have a mechanical pitter? They are well worth the money. Also, we have found that putting parchment down only slows the drying time a tiny bit but saves a ton of washing.
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ReplyDeleteNope, no mechanical pitter. It took us like 10 minutes to do all of these while we were watching tv, so it was a good use of time.
ReplyDeleteI don't worry about the clean up too much, I just chuck the trays in the dishwasher! :)