In Search of Summer ~ A Fruit Stand Stop on The Memorial Day Trip

We fought our way away from San Francisco on the 101 Highway toward Bodega Bay on Friday. After a couple of hours on the road we read a sign for CHERRIES -  $1 a box. So, the hungry, weary travelers we were, pulled off the road. My sonny boy grabbed a couple of dollars and headed to the canopies fruit stand for some deliciousness.

Well then, it turns out, these are the $4 boxes. The $1 boxes were very, very little with about 12 cherries. (Ah, 12 for a dollar would have made a good sign, too.)
See if you can find them on the table:
Ah, there's the little box -- way, way, way to the right tucked next to the apricots. Bait and switch at it's best. So, there we were with a mouthful of "Oh well!" as we snagged a box of deliciousness anyway.

You have to love the roadside stands.

The nectarines were hard as rocks, but irresistible too. They may be ready for lunches today.

I know there are many things to be done with cherries, but I almost never seem to get past the "bowl of cherries" point. Once in a while the red ones and the white ones make their way into a salad (after pitting them with my 1940's pitter) alongside blueberries and blackberries and a tart and mildly sweet yogurt sauce. Making it all the way to pie has never happened.

So tell me, please, what would you do with a basket or two of luscious summer cherries?