Friday, July 22, 2011

CH, CH, CH, CHERRIES, OH MY

So when I said I had a thousand pound of cherries being delivered I had no picture in my head what a thousand pound of cherries looked like.
It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought.  It turned out to be fifty boxes of 20#'s in each one.

The whole reason I had that many cherries delivered is because I am currently  the Provident Living/Self Reliance coordinator on my ward (church congregation).  That means that I help others to become more self-reliant through  learning to spend money wisely.  I find ways to help them get food supplies stocked up so that when times get tough such as economic downturns, emergencies, job losses or disasters they will be better able to care for their own needs rather than depending on others.
I am always on the look out for good buys on food for canning.

Lucky for us we have a wonderful man in our church that owns a business in an area (and is willing to haul back produce) where there are lots of farms and orchards that are willing to sell produce to him at exceptional prices if we meet the five-hundred pound minimum.  We doubled our amount on the cherries, which really pleased the farmer.



Here is "fine" man (his name is Jim Fine) that has so generously offered to transport the produce for us.
(He is the one in the white t-shirt and the farmer is on the right.)

Here is a bowl of the Bing cherries.  They were so delicious and juicy.


He also brought back these sacks of Walla Walla sweet onions too.  At .28  per pound they are a steal.
If you live anywhere near me and are interested in getting some onions please let me know and we will work something out to get them to you.


Here I am waiting for the first people to come and pick up their cherries.  Please ignore all of the junk in the back ground, it's just garage junk that really needs organized.

Next week we will be ordering apricots.  Here are some samples the farmer sent so people could see how wonderful they are.
 They are nice and big, almost as big as a peach.

13 comments:

CB said...

That is ALOT of cherries! Wow!
I have to admit my mouth is watering over the onions. Those Walla Walla's are my favorite and I can literally eat them like an apple. They are SOOO good!!

You did such a good job getting all this produce for the people in your ward. Just awesome!

Patricia said...

Wow! I am impressed with the size of that apricot. What a wonderful job to have helping to serve so many people. I wish our food banks would offer something like this. I volunteer with a Senior Nutrition program, and we get leftover produce from the stores. Much of the time it's spoiled and we pick through moldy stuff to salvage what we can. It's a sorry situation, but we're grateful for what we do get. We have some stores that give quality items, especially Trader Joe's with their bakery items and produce. Thank goodness for them.

Patricia said...

One more thing, Your grandsons are adorable. I especially loved the extra photos of them showing up on your camera. How FUN!

Mimi said...

What a fantastic idea.
I love the look of your fresh fruit, wish I did live near you! Here, it has to be shipped thousands of miles to us, but I grow some in my garden- am making plum chutney at the moment!

Julie Harward said...

What a blessing we have being in the country..what a bounty! :D

Momza said...

My oh My! I wish I lived near you, Connie!

Amy @ Keep'n The SunnySide said...

You rock Connie.. you just do.
I love when people take the initiative. Its all about helping others.. to help themselves. Learning what to do now.. so when the going gets tough they aren't clueless.

BTW... You have some nice built in cabinetry in your garage.

Lori said...

That is a lot of cherries. I do so wish I lived near you....not just for the fruit either ;)

Quiltingranny said...

Okay Connie, Walla Walla Onions and Rainier cherries, I know you must be in Washington somewhere...as I am! Where, I would love to learn to can!

larainydays said...

I'm sure you are referred to as "That fruity lady" with deep affection.

Welcome to the Garden of Egan said...

Wow! Life really is a bowl of cherries...well, in your case a garage of cherries.
Yummy looking!

The apricots.......SLURP!

I wish I lived near you! I would grab up some of everything. Especially the onions!

My hubs and I are the Stake Self Reliance guys.

Unknown said...

Wow! That is a big job. I wouldn't even know where to start!

Jane Isfeld Still said...

Hey Connie. Loved the blog. Fruity Lady? LOL
You forgot to mention how totally adorable and hilarious you looked packed away with all those cherries!. Also your jam recipe looks fab!!