40 Days-40 Lenten Recipes #14 Sour Cherry Dessert

Sour Cherry by the Spoon

Sour Cherries are great sources of beta carotene or Vitamin A, and have more than either blueberries or strawberries. They also have Vitamins C and E, potassium, magnesium, iron, folate and fiber.

If this doesn't sell you on them, how about they are a natural source of melatonin and an antioxidant.

And they taste-AMAZING!

They are HARD to find.

In the summer, you may get lucky and find a U-pick farm, 

but I have resorted to ordering them frozen online.

When we were growing up we were so lucky,

we had a neighbor who had a sweet cherry tree, and 3 sour trees.

We would all help net the sweet tree and in return, 

we could have all the sour cherries we wanted.

I would sit on the back porch and pit bowls and bowls of them,

then mix them with sugar to freeze.

Some I would make into pies, strudel and sometimes preserves.

The great thing about these,

they have lasting power

and are great when you need a taste of something sweet and tart.

And, they're Lenten.

You will need washed, stemless, and pitted cherries.

For each pound of cherries, add an equal amount of sugar and 2 cups of water.

That's it!

Boil for 10 minutes, 

drain off the syrup, 

boil the syrup again for 10 minutes, 

while skimming any foam off.

Add back the cherries and boil for another 3-5 minutes.

Remove from the heat,

allow it cool,

add to your clean jars.

When ready to enjoy,

place a small amount with a teaspoon in a pretty dish.

Serve with ice water and a greek coffee.

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