Cherry Recipes from Orchard Country

posted by Christine Gable on Wednesday, Jul 21, 2010

Cherries, cherries, cherries! It was thoughts of new cherry recipes and all things cherry that compelled me to travel to Wisconsin to learn more on a recent press trip. Lucky for me, there were cherries galore: dried cherries, chocolate covered cherries, cherry crisp, cherry pie, cherry juice, cherry wine. One activity that I enjoyed tremendously was a tour of Orchard Country with Katie, their very knowledgeable tour guide. From the orchard to the winery, she taught us all about the different steps involved in cherry growing and harvesting. A family farm owned by Bob, Erin and Carrie Lautenbach, Orchard Country is home to a thriving business that began when Bill and Ruth Lautenbach bought this family farm in 1955. Today it's an on-site winery, cider mill and country market that offers visitors the chance to pick and sample the delights of the cherry harvest. Orchard Country harvests an average of 350,000 lbs. of cherries a year. Wow! Each cherry tree provides about 7,000 cherries -- that's enough to make 28 pies or 30 bottles of wine. Oh, how I wish I was closer to Door County to do some fresh tart cherry picking now!

Second best: making some recipes from Orchard Country. I'm going to be making this coffee cake as soon as I can get my hands on some fresh Montmorency cherries here in Lancaster County, PA. How 'bout you -- any favorite cherry dishes to recommend or share?

 

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