Cherry Picking

One of the more enjoyable parts about being in the Midwest is the berry picking. I grew up in a state where the major crops were tobacco, corn, and cotton -- none of which are the kinds of foods you want to pick up and eat from the vine, so to speak. Luckily, we have several vineyards right up the road from us. Last year we picked blackberries and raspberries at Brautigam orchards, and this spring we started out the year by picking cherries. As silly and obvious as this may sound, after having used the phrase "cherry picking" my whole life, actually picking cherries made me realize where this phrase came from! Not all cherries are equal, and you want to pick the reddest and ripest ones, which are probably higher up the tree where they're more difficult to get.











After we got home, I made my first jam, all by myself. I bought a canner three years ago, before Lilly was born, and I was excited to finally be able to use it. Since the cherries were a little tart, I made some berry jam, with strawberries and blackberries in addition to the cherries. I have to admit, it's been very yummy jam indeed!