sour cherries are here!

i have been awaiting their arrival since their short season ended last year! last year my mom was able to get tons of them, so i had an abundance. not the case this year. due to the lack of a winter, the warm weather early, and the few icy cold days we had early in the spring, the entire crop of sour cherries was severely hurt. they have a very short picking time to begin with, so this year there was a very limited supply.

i have been asking around at the farmers market in south side about when they might be getting any, and they had said this week may be the week. so i was very excited to find one farmer with a small stock of them. of course i bought up all he had out on the table. when i turned to leave, i noticed he was putting out more...i almost went back for more, but decided as long as i could make one pie, i would be happy. 

sour cherry pie. probably my favorite kind of pie of all time. with a lil vanilla ice cream...yum. so, here is a recipe for one if you are lucky enough to get your hands on some this season!

MY FAVORITE SWEET PIE CRUST (make 2 if you want a top on your pie!)

1 1/4 cups flour.

1 tbsp. sugar.

1/4 tsp. salt.

6 tbsp. cold, unsalted butter cut into small pieces.

2 tbsp. cold vegetable shortening.

3-4 tbsp. ice water, as needed.

sift flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. work in butter & shortening with your fingers until crumbs form. add water little by little, just until a dough begins to form. form dough into a disc, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. once chilled, roll out a 12" circle & press it into a 9" pie pan. form edges. cool again, for about 30 minutes. preheat oven to 375 degrees. line pie shell with parchment paper & pie weights (i don't have these, so i use uncooked beans or a glass baking dish that is slightly smaller than the pie dish). bake until set, about 12 minutes. if you are baking a pie who's filling will not be cooked, remove the weights/lining & bake 8-10 more minutes, until golden brown. but for this pie, just set the crust aside for now.

SOUR CHERRY FILLING

3 pints sour cherries.

1 cup sugar.

3 tbsp. corn starch.

gently mix all ingredients together & stir until corn starch has dissolved & there are no lumps. 

set oven to 425 degrees. add cherry filling to pie. if you want a top crust, add it now. then brush top & edges with a beaten egg. sprinkle with sugar. bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees & bake another 30 minutes, rotating pie at the half way point. i always place a cookie sheet under my pie, because most pies end up bubbling over. let cool & enjoy!

$1.00!

 

 

 

 

i also got my little tool box planter all filled up today with some little succulent plants from lowes, and found this lil fella in the discount section for $1.00.