The Cherry People

The cherry harvest is going strong here in Washington. Though farmers were jittery after a cool and wet May, superb fruit quality coupled with buoyant prices meant good news for farmers – and a bounty of cherries for you! What’s more, various indicators suggest that fresh cherries should fill grocers’ stands through August.

That’s made us very happy here at Chukar, where we only use local fruits for our cherry-inspired confections. Not that we needed to worry; Washington grows close to 40 percent of the nation’s sweet cherries, making it America’s top producer of the fruits. Areas of the state also grow tart cherries, and made Washington the third largest producer nationwide this year, after Michigan and Utah.

What makes Washington such a great cherry state? A few factors, actually. Fertile soils, irrigation technologies, and dry climate all optimize cherry cultivation in the region. Much of this production takes place in Yakima, Grant and Benton counties – the top three farming counties in the state.   Needless to say, all three enjoy prime cherry-growing soil and, as they’re right in our backyard, provide Chukar with most of our fresh cherries.

During harvest, we transform cherries fresh-from-the-tree into pure food products, when natural sugars, flavors, and consistency are at their prime. The best and freshest cherries of the nation are the number one ingredient in our products. In other words, we’re not just Nature’s Best, we’re the nation’s best! Guaranteed.

Join Chukar Cherries in celebrating Pike Place’s 3rd Annual Fruit Festival this Sunday! Chukar Cherries and Pike Market are sponsoring family-friendly activities including several Cherry Pie-Eating Contests, Cherry Culinary Demos, and more. Bring the family and be sure to drop by Chukar’s newly renovated retail stand in the center of the main arcade building. It’s worth a look, a taste, and a take home!

Festivities start at 10am and run throughout the day. Plan to park just outside the Market.

• 10am, Chukar Cherry-inspired Culinary Demo with Dianne LaVonne of Diane’s Market Kitchen
• 11:30am and 2:30pm, 3rd Annual Pike Place Cherry Pie Eating Contest, sponsored by Chukar Cherries
• Noon to 1:30pm, Master of the Market Chef Competition, featuring Pike Market chefs and a secret Chukar ingredient!
• 1-4pm, Live Music by local band Ranger and the Rearrangers, sponsored by Chukar Cherries

For more information and a full schedule, click here. For directions to our Pike Place store, click here.

Blueberries seem to be popping up everywhere here in Eastern Washington. Fueled by a national hunger for the antioxidant-rich super-foods, farmers have gone blueberry-crazy, planting over 1500 acres in the last two years alone. And with this year promising the largest harvest yet, we couldn’t help but notice the rise of little blue fruits.

For those in Western Washington, where the berries have been grown commercially for over 50 years, blueberries may seem like old news. But Eastern Washington is a different story. Up until about ten years ago, the high pH level of the soil out here made it impossible to grow the fruits. When Chukar started, there were no blueberry farms to speak of east of the Cascades. New technology and growing techniques have all but removed those obstacles, however, making the Yakima Valley a prime area for blueberry farming.

And boy have they taken off! Production statewide has more than tripled to an expected 90 million pounds this year in only two years. All of this means that we’re enjoying a lot more fresh, local blueberries here in Washington- and can look forward to plenty more in the future. Plus, with the construction of Eastern Washington’s first organic blueberry packing plant, fans of those natural food options don’t have to feel left out of the fun.  If you’d like to experience some Washington blueberries for yourself, try Chukar’s Dried Blueberries or Cherry Blueberry Pie and Cobbler filling, or if you’re in the area, go to a local U-Pick- you may find one closer than you’d think!

Ma and Pa Chukar in France

Having been encouraged by the Chukar team to do some creative “research and development”, Ma and Pa Chukar recently embarked on a 10-day culinary tour of southern France and northern Italy.  Along with a group of food entrepreneurs from the Pacific Northwest, they savored some of the best local French and Italian produce and foods, from cold-pressed olive oil to specialty cheeses and fresh summer fruits and vegetables.

During their trip, the Chukar duo visited boutique family food companies and were inspired by the fourth- and fifth-generation owners they met. As Ma Chukar noted, these “family enterprises created and operated throughout generations with age-old recipes and a respect for quality, freshness and the best ingredients.” They also have managed to stay connected to local fare in such historic locations as Avignon, the Carmargue, and Genoa..

While we may be a bit jealous of their tasting extravaganza, Kiran Connolly, a Chukar fan from Dublin, Ireland, reminded us that we can enjoy these foods here at home using summer-ripe local cherries. She sent in a recipe from Southwest France, Clafoutis aux Cerises (Custard and Cherries).  Light, fluffy, and jazzed with tangy bursts of sweet cherries, “Clafoutis”  (pronounced kla-foo-TEE) pairs marvelously with the Northwest’s Bing cherries. In a word, oulala!

Clafoutis aux Cerises, a recipe for you cherry lovers:

Ingredients:

½ cup + 1 tablespoon superfine sugar, separated
2/3 cup plain flour
2 medium eggs
1 cup milk
1 tbspn unsalted butter, melted
1 tspn vanilla extract
1 lb fresh cherries, pitted or partially thawed frozen cherries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 9- or 10-inch round ovenproof dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle with 1/2 tbpsn sugar and tilt to coat evenly. Place ½ cup of the remaining sugar, the flour, eggs, milk, butter and vanilla extract into food processor or mixer. Process to make a smooth batter.Spread cherries in the ovenproof dish. You can put them in whole. I cut them in half to make more fruit to spread around. Spread the rest of the sugar on top. Bake in oven for 35-40mins until slightly puffed and a light brown. Leave to cool and set. The clafoutis will sink a little as it does. Dust with confectioners sugar.

Perfect summer treat and can be served warm or cold. This dessert is also great with peaches or strawberries. I also make it with pear and raspberries. Don’t forget the vanilla ice cream!

It’s often the case that the simpler the recipe, the tastier the treat. That’s certainly the case with Diane LaVonne’s delicious Rustic Cherry Tarts. Combining fresh seasonal berries and fruits with Chukar’s ready-to-enjoy Pie Fillings, they’re the perfect finale to any summer meal.

If you’re planning some 4th of July festivities, top these little guys off with raspberries, blueberries and some whipped cream (or vanilla ice cream) for a scrumptious red-white and blue dessert!

Rustic Cherry Tart

Ingredients:

Directions:

Combine dry ingredients and cut-in cold butter using pastry hand blender. Add a few tablespoons of icy water (just enough to bind dough) and refrigerate for several hours, covered. Divide dough into 12 equal parts. On floured surface, roll pastry dough into 7 inch diameter circles, spoon 2 Tbsp. cherry filling into the center, and top with 2 Tbsp. fresh berries or sliced fruit. Gather the edges of the dough toward the center and pinch edges. Brush pastry edges with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar crystals. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes until center is bubbly and crust is golden. Note: Pastry works best when all ingredients and utensils are very cold. Yields: 12, 3 inch Tarts.