I've seen the damnedest thing this week. I don't think I've ever actually seen Rainier cherries cheaper than Bing cherries in the entire time I've been eating them, but I went into my local grocery stores this week to find one store selling for $3.97 per pound and the other selling for $3.47 per pound...a dollar less than Bings. In both cases. O.o I'm in Iowa, mind you, so it may be a regional thing. I'm not really complaining (who would?) as Rainiers actually make more sense for me for eating raw (must half and pit for my daughter - Bings get rather messy), but I was going to make a cherry-blueberry tart and wanted Bings for the dark color.

Another thing I'm not liking is the lack of available sour cherries, even frozen. Neither store has them locally, and I'm wanting to make a pie. I can get canned ones, but at $3.49 for a 15 ounce can, I'd rather have the frozen or fresh.

Anyone else experiencing strange cherry season?

Okay, I'm going to admit it.....  I'm just about the only one in my family with a sweet tooth!  One of my grandmothers had one but unfortunately she is no longer with us.  I realized that I was the sole family member left to carry her torch as I gradually noticed that I was the one who always got nominated to make desserts for our family gatherings.  It's not that I'm some kind of pastry chef, I'm just the only one who really enjoys making desserts.  So this is how I will preface yet another post from me in the "sweets" forum.

I got the recipe for Summer Fruit Pie from the CI Best Recipe book, and I have made it with various fruits many times.  In this instance I used the excuse that I had received fresh peaches from my parents who had picked them from a peach farm here in North FL.   After DH and I ate our fill of raw ones, I put the rest in this pie:

This is a very easy and satisfying crust for which the food processor does most of the mixing.

Summer

Grandmother's Apple Cake

5 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup sugar

1 cup AP flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 medium baking apples

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon