Cherry ripe... Cherry Ripe

What would you do if you bought a kilo of luscious ripe cherries? Make jam perhaps? Indeed cherry jam is one of the most delicious. But the stones do make things difficult. French people possess sophisticated cherry stoners, but my one handed simple affair makes for an arduous task. One might find it worthwhile to stone a few for a fine cherry tart, or better still a clafoutis, But in my mind there is nothing better than to pour some into a bowl and dip in. I warrant that once you have bitten into that first cherry, you will be unable to stop.

Our valley is renowned for cherries. At one time the cherries from St Etienne d Gourgas were so prized, they were sold at the markets of Paris, Nowadays only a few fruiting cherries remain running alongside the main road and alongside our village stade, where we can pick them for free.

Take care if you should decide to help yourself however. I well remember sitting alongside a French man at the local emergency clinic during our very first year here. He was nursing an injured wrist, having fallen from his ladder while picking cherries. Perhaps it is safer to wait until the local cherry stalls appear at the side of the road.

Production is now in full swing in the orchards which lie above our neighbouring village of Soubès. So we have been eagerly appreciating this first crop. On Friday we saw a roadside stall , the first of the season, so we stopped by to buy some. Needless to say, our kilo of cherries didn't last long, and not a single jar of jam has been produced.

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