Seeing red: Rainier Cherries and Fire Cider!

dear shoppers, 'Tis the season for Rainier cherries, which were, indeed named after Mount Rainier and are a sunny cross between the Bing and Van varieties.

Developed in the 1950s  for Washington State University's breeding program, Rainiers were introduced to the public in 1960 and were an instant hit due to their extra sweet yellow flesh.

In case you missed this recipe from LoHud food blogger Maria Reina for a  Rainier cherry salsa this week, I give it to you here .

This is one of those recipes that you are going to make over and over again because it's so simple and versatile: spoon it over seared scallops or a piece of steak from or pork chop from Roaming Angus. Also very good on a backyard burger  with some crumbed Painted Goat Feta or on a piece of chevre astride a  hand-rolled, ultra-thin Saratoga Cracker Co.  cracker.  (yes, the cracker folks are here this week).

For more fun reading on Rainier cherries - check out this  blog post from La Tartine Gourmande.

There's a new product at the True Food tent that is worth investigating: Fire Cider.  For centuries, New Englanders drank a daily tonic of apple cider, vinegar and honey.

Shire City Herbals has improved on the classic recipe by adding  lemons, oranges, onions, ginger, garlic horseradish, habanero peppers, turmeric and, finally, wildflower honey.  The result is a bracing tonic that can be drunk straight from the bottle, mixed into a salad dressing or added to a summer cocktail.  Swing by the True Food tent where it is the base for a refreshing spritzer.

French Press Cafe will be coming by to make crepes this Saturday.  And Brooklyn Bean is back tomorrow as well. Wonder what they will be tucking into those burritos this week?

See you at the market!

Pascale