Every time I market these days, there they are – beautiful berries and chubby, sweet-looking cherries. Whether I have a supply or not, they are so enticing that I bring home more. The prices have been good, too, but even as they fluctuate upward, the cost is still far less than a myriad of foods we select as ingredients, or for out of hand snacking.
With their numerous good-for-you-advantages, such as being fat-free, high in Vitamin C and fiber and – according to the experts – full of powerful health-promoting antioxidant nutrients, it is practically just plain wrong to pass them up when offered fresh.
In summer, I often serve Aunt Georgina’s Fresh Blueberries and Cream Cheese Pie to family and friends. As a remedy for the summertime blues, when the heat is unrelenting and suffocating, this luscious cream cheese pie is powerful medicine. There are select recipes that readers practically gush over – this is one of them.
And, what kid or adult doesn’t feel better after eating ice cream? For grownups only, the Brandied Cherry-Vanilla Ice Cream is a bona fide mood booster. Containing a good dose of alcohol, the cherries will keep in a tightly sealed jar, in the refrigerator, for months and months. If you can keep yourself from eating them all, come the holidays, no better cherries will you find for making a celebratory dessert like Cherries Jubilee.
For some folks, oppressive heat is not a problem, but for others it is cause for misery, depression and general crankiness. Purchased over the counter, sweet blueberries and juicy cherries can be a cure for that, but don’t wait too long. Berry and cherry season will soon end and fresh refills are limited.
food writer with broad experience and interest in the culinary arts. She has worked and resided in the Lowcountry of South Carolina since 1985 and may be reached at kitchenade@yahoo.com.
