My love for cherries and other local bounty

Look what was waiting for me last Saturday morning...

...rows and rows of cherries waiting to be picked off these trees! This is the 3rd year in a row I've been at Nunn Better cherry farm in Brentwood, one of my favorite places. We got up early to beat the noon crowds. When we arrived there were about 6 cars in the giant dirt lot.

It was so peaceful out in the orchard. We headed toward the back rows so that we could only hear murmurs of people's voices from a distance. I noticed they put in grass between the rows of trees this year. It was nice not tripping over mounds of dirt and mud. It would be a great spot for a picnic but it's not allowed. I was really surprised by how much fruit there was left on the trees so late in the cherry season. We filled a bucket with a ton of dark red sweet cherries. It was fun sampling the cherries to determine what tree to pick from. This year they were $2.50/lb. Each bucket holds about 10 lbs. Our bucket had a little over 10 lbs so we paid $25. Not bad considering the stores have been selling at $3-5/lb. prepackaged and by then they've been sitting around for who knows how long. By the time we left there were more than double the amount of cars and more cars of families were rolling in. It's definitely more fun with a big group.

My cherry consumption has been ridiculous. I've been snacking on them for 3 days straight. I ended up making a batch of hand pies (a.k.a turnovers) to use up some of the cherries. FYI, the recipe called for 4 cups of cherries which only equals a pound. It barely made a dent! It's best to share so I packed most of the pies for us to bring to work. It's too dangerous to leave me alone with them. I have more than enough cherries to make 2 more batches. I have a family potluck next week. Guess what I'm bringing.

After we left the orchard Bubs wanted to check something out on the main strip of Brentwood. We got caught up in some traffic/road construction hell and ended up driving by a farmer's market. I love farmer's markets! I wasn't sure if it was worth stopping for since it was a small one until out of nowhere I found a close parking spot. In fact, there were a lot of parking spots available. I have to admit that I wasn't expecting much. Was I wrong! It was no Ferry Building farmer's market (the ultimate!), but we spent a ridiculous amount on baked goods, Panamanian tamales for lunch, fruits and veggies (of course!), and fresh seafood straight from a Santa Cruz fish monger. We even talked to some roller derby girls passing out flyers to a derby bout going on next weekend. It was nice discovering things like this on the fly. The Brentwood farmer's market is only from 8am-noon on Saturdays which is why I've never been there. I'm usually still lounging around at home in my pjs during those hours.

Peaches and strawberries are next on my list of things to go picking. I hear next month they'll be ready.