Cherries have always been my favorite fruit...ever since I can remember. I'd rather have a cherry pie than a birthday cake. And I can eat all the Bing cherries I want in the summertime with no adverse affects. So, on a drive through the mountains one afternoon just above Tum Tum, near our house, I passed by a HUGE cherry tree. It must have been planted when the pioneers or the early Indians roamed the country. It was at least 40 feet tall...or as tall as the ceiling in our ward chapel. And most amazing of all, every branch was covered, laden and drooping with red cherries!
As I filled a grocery bag I wondered why no one else seemed to be interested in this tree. Oh well, all the more for me, as I grabbed handful after handful of the precious fruit and once in a while popped one into my mouth.
After washing the cherries it was a long and tedious task (since I don't have a cherry pitter) to cut the pit out of each and every one. Finally, when I had a big pot full, I added water and sugar and set it on the warm burner of the stove. As I waited for the mixture to warm up and start boiling, I started to see little white things floating in the warm water. As I watched, the water got warmer and warmer and the white things began to wiggle!
The lesson of this story is to never eat the fruit of a wild and uncared-for cherry tree. My sister Rosalin said that once a tree is invested like that the only solution is to chop it down. And she thinks that there may be more to the story of George Washington chopping down the cherry tree.
As I filled a grocery bag I wondered why no one else seemed to be interested in this tree. Oh well, all the more for me, as I grabbed handful after handful of the precious fruit and once in a while popped one into my mouth.
After washing the cherries it was a long and tedious task (since I don't have a cherry pitter) to cut the pit out of each and every one. Finally, when I had a big pot full, I added water and sugar and set it on the warm burner of the stove. As I waited for the mixture to warm up and start boiling, I started to see little white things floating in the warm water. As I watched, the water got warmer and warmer and the white things began to wiggle!
The lesson of this story is to never eat the fruit of a wild and uncared-for cherry tree. My sister Rosalin said that once a tree is invested like that the only solution is to chop it down. And she thinks that there may be more to the story of George Washington chopping down the cherry tree.
3 comments:
There are worse things that can happen than eating a few innocent little, white worms that have spent their whole life inside a beautiful red cherry! To tell the truth after all these years, I actually scooped the worms off the top of the contents of bottles filled with pie cherries & then went ahead & finished the job of canning them!
I have had this little secret for years & none of the kids ever knew that cherry cobbler had anything other than cherries in it. For all I knew, all the worms floated to the top & I got rid of them. I slaved over getting the cherries picked, pitted & sugared & I determined not to waste my effort.
We enjoyed cherry cobbler smothered with whipped cream that winter & we are all still alive!
Oh dear! All that work for nothing! I did a whole bowl full of cherries from my friends tree a week or two ago. I had brown hands when I was done, but those cherries were worth it!
I agree with Rosalin. Those worms are innocent, but I would still like to know if she partook of the wormy cherry cobbler too or did she just stand back and smile as she watched the kids eat worms? Great blog DeAnn and equally great comment Rosalin. Quite revealing!
And one other thing, those worms just added a bit of inexpensive protein to your diet so be grateful.
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