Preserved Cherries

The short season nears the end and I always start to think about holding on to the last offerings as one of the summer's most delightful sights goes.  The cherry tree brings us glorious cherry blossom in spring.  The Japanese revere this tree, with the blossom being their national flower, they celebrate the spring blossom, honouring the custom of Hanami, by way of blossom viewing picnics.  I can only reserve faint hope for us being that sensitively atuned to nature's rythyms that we engage in blossom picnics........ it feels a long, long way off!

So, this very simple recipe preserving cherries in eau de vie and syrup will be a welcome treat in the winter with some ice cream or to add to a simple geonoa cake with cream.  The cherry infused eau de vie will be good too I suspect......

• Cherries
• Sugar syrup (2 thirds sugar, 1 third water, boiled and simmered)
• Eau de vie

1. Wash, dry and sort the cherries discarding any blemished ones.
2. Pack into a steralised jar.
3. Pour one third cold sugar syrup and two thirds eav de vie.
4. Cover and leave for at least 3 months.