Vegetarians in Paradise/ Cherry Relish/Cherries Recipe

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Howdy there li'l ones,

Well, no one done writ to me with cookin' problems this week, an' them nice fresh cherries is starrin' me square in the eye, sittin' on the counter lookin' all shiny. So, I done deecided it was time ta turn them purtties inter somethin' mighty fine.

I come up with a Cherry Relish ta knock yer boots off. It's not fancy, but it's got real healthy fixin's. Now, it helps a heap if ya has a cherry pitter. I was hopin' fer real sweet cherries fer my relish, but wouldn't ya know, they fergot ta be sweet. Not to worry, though. They's mighty fine in this recipe. Hope y'all enjoy.

Yer ever lovin' Aunt Nettie

During Cherry Season, bring this zesty and nutty fruit relish to the table and serve it alongside a savory entrée. You'll discover it satisfies those sweet cravings people often feel at the end of a meal.

Cherry Relish is one of the delicious recipes from Zel Allen's cookbook The Nut Gourmet: Nourishing Nuts for Every Occasion published by Book Publishing Company in 2006.

CHERRY RELISH

Yield: 4 or 5 cups (1.25 liters).

1 ripe mango, diced
1 sweet apple, diced
1 heaping cup (240 ml +) of fresh cherries, pitted and cut in half
1/2 cup (120 ml) golden raisins
1/4 cup (60 ml) raw pecan pieces
1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar

Combine all the ingredients in an attractive serving bowl, and toss well to distribute them evenly.

If You Haven't Met Aunt Nettie. . .

Our Aunt Nettie has a head like a hard disk. It's filled with gigabytes of information about food and cooking. And she's just itchin' to share her learnin' with city folk who live in mortal fear of the stovetop.

Aunt Nettie grew up on the farm. She did not eat out of a can or reach into the freezer. There was no microwave to pop her food into. Everything she made was from scratch. All the food she ate was natural, without pesticides. It was grown right there on the family farm, and she had to cook to survive. At eighty-three years young she still leaps and bounds around the kitchen and can shake, rattle, and roll those pots and pans with the best of them.

Nowadays, Aunt Nettie just shakes her head and complains, "Nobody cooks anymore. They have no idea about puttin' a meal together." She's on a mission. She wants to help those younguns eat better so they can grow up healthy like her own eight kids.

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