Whole Story

Our 3rd annual Cherry Fest is in full swing around here! We love celebrating all things cherry, especially when they’re at their seasonal sweetest. You too can join in on our cheery cherry festivities by picking up cherries for $1.99 a pound when they go on sale this Friday. (They’re on sale for one day only, so make sure you stop in on Friday, July 13^th to catch this deal!) Sale valid in our US and Canadian stores, while supplies last. Availability and limits may vary by region, so you can contact your store for details. Most of our stores do not provide rain checks for sales like this. How do you pick the best cherries? Here are some tips that we like to follow when we choose them for you:

• Check the stems — fresh cherries have green stems
• Give them a feel — cherries should be firm, no soft spots or bruising
• Look for the good color — depending on variety, ideally they should be deep, bright red to mahogany
• Give them the once over — fruit should be free of insect damage and pitting (little indentations caused by dehydration)
• Give them a taste — be sure the amount of sugar in the fruit is high

If you love cherries like I do and just can’t get enough, check out these recipes to plan a meal featuring cherries in every dish — perfect for a cherry-themed summer dinner party! (Read more about my summer dinner parties here.)

Extra sweets: For a no-heat dessert treat, try this No-Cook Cherry Vanilla Pudding with Lemon Wafers. And we would be completely remiss if we didn’t mention a classic cherry pie! We can’t get enough sweet cherry goodness! What will you do with your cherries from this Friday’s sale?