Try my 11 Cherry and Strawberry Recipes for a taste of New England summer! These from-scratch, sweet and pretty desserts make the most of farmstand fresh cherries and strawberries. They're perfect for warm weather gatherings of all kinds.
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It's the most wonderful time of the year in New England when fresh cherries and fresh strawberries are in season! After a long winter and muddy spring, it's time to celebrate these jewel-toned fruits.
Use your fresh-picked or farmstand haul to make my 11 Cherry and Strawberry Recipes! Whether you're craving a rich coffee cake, a cream and cake-layered dessert, a summery fruit salad, or a slice of pie, there's a recipe here for you. Make them for showers, backyard parties, or to treat your family to an after-supper sweet.
In a nutshell... 🐿️
- What this is: A hand-picked collection of 11 cozy desserts and treats that celebrate the brief, beautiful window when fresh strawberries and fresh cherries take over New England farmstands. These recipes will help you make the most of these long-awaited fruits.
- You'll love this part: These recipes turn a simple haul from the berry patch and cherry trees into nostalgic, family favorite treats, like a decadent coffee cake or layered desserts for a party.
- How to use this collection: Scroll down to find recipes for strawberries and a separate collection for cherries. Tap the button to see the complete recipe, along with ingredients guides and helpful tips.
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The thrill of fresh strawberries and cherries in New England
In Vermont and across New England we eagerly await the appearance of roadside signs at local strawberry fields. 🍓 The farmstands welcome folks to come on in and load up with flats of hand-picked berries.
And for a brief window in early summer, there are cherries. 🍒 They dazzle in shades of garnet, Day-Glo red, and reddish-orange. Bags of the jewel fruits overflow the grocery produce bins. We used to have two modest little cherry trees in the front yard and even they would produce a decent, thrilling blush of fruit!
You will, of course, eat handfuls of fresh cherries and strawberries as soon as they come into the house. (I do, too.) Just be sure to set some aside for my delicious fresh cherry and strawberry recipes!
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For the kids!
Kid-Friendly Summer Recipes
Get the kids off the couch! Join them in the kitchen to make fun treats like milkshakes and soft cookies.
Cherry and Strawberry FAQs
I tested six different methods for storing fresh strawberries for Taste of Home, and I found the best one to be a mason jar. Place the unwashed strawberries in a tall mason jar; do this gently without pushing or squashing the berries. Cover the jar tightly and store it in the fridge for up to a week!
Yes, you should wash fresh strawberries before using them, to remove dust, critters, and any treatments applied by the growers. However, wait to wash them until just before you want to use them, so they don't get soggy. To serve them whole, spread washed strawberries out on a towel-lined tray to let them air dry.
Fresh, whole cherries should be refrigerated as soon as you bring them home. Keep the stems intact to protect the insides of the cherries. I slip mine into a plastic bag with the top left open, so that some moisture is stays around the fruit, but air can also circulate to prevent mold. Wait to wash your cherries until just before you want to use them.
Why you'll love these Cherry Recipes and Strawberry Recipes
Bring home an armload or three armloads of fresh strawberries and fresh cherries to whip up some of my favorite fruit recipes. There's a recipe here for everyone and so many occasions!
Find fresh cherry recipes, as well as dishes that use dried and frozen cherries. And, there are fresh strawberry recipes along with one dish that makes good use of luscious strawberry jam.
My recipes include a cherry-filled Coffee Cake and a pretty Mason Jar Dessert with Three Kinds of Berries. Enjoy the classic combination of strawberries and cream in this no-bake Icebox Cake.
There are cookies, pies, no-bake desserts, and even a fresh fruit salad. All of these dishes are divine ways to celebrate the return of warm weather, something we New Englanders spend many, many grey and frigid months dreaming about!
Here are my Cherry and Strawberry Recipe Ideas for you, organized by fruit.
🍓 6 Strawberry Recipes
Strawberry Cream Cheese Icebox Cake
A creamy, no-bake cake with layers of strawberries, cream, and graham crackers. It's a welcome, no-oven dessert for hot and humid days.
Strawberry Lemon Sandwich Cookies
Tender butter cookies filled with strawberry jam and lemon buttercream. A beautiful cookie for parties and showers!
Fruit of the Forest Pie
One of my most popular pies, it's filled with strawberries, plus five other fruits like blueberries and apple.
Tomato Watermelon Fruit Salad
Strawberries and raspberries combined with watermelon stars, and an unexpected but so delicious addition: cherry tomatoes!
Berry Trifle in a Mason Jar
Create individual desserts with layers of strawberries, shortcake, and cream.
Summer Fruit Salad
Strawberries, melon, and blueberries topped with dollops of a sweet, creamy peach and yogurt sauce!
🍒 5 Cherry Recipes
Cherry Chocolate Coffee Cake
A rich coffee cake made with yogurt, sweet cherries, and chunks of chocolate. It's a decadent breakfast and coffee break treat!
Cherry Shortcake in a Jar
Cherries and sliced nectarines are succulent together, tucked between rounds of shortcake and sweetened whipped cream.
Chocolate-Covered Cherries with a Sparkle
They're a hundred time better than those drugstore chocolates! Fresh whole, juicy cherries hidden inside a chocolate shell, and with a little bling from decorating sugar.
Toffee Cherry Chocolate Chunk Pie
This pie is beyond indulgent, I mean it's just loaded with chocolate, sweet toffee, and sweet dried cherries!
Cherry Ice Cream Floats
Cherry soda and vanilla ice cream... so simple, but so, so good. Top them with Pop Rocks, like I do, or with fresh, long-stemmed cherries!
Enjoy fresh Cherry and Strawberry seasons while they last!
The Armchair Squid says
There have been a lot of fruit salads at our house recently. Social distancing has its perks.
Nancy Mock says
That is definitely a perk! I've picked up a lot of strawberries lately, even though local ones aren't out yet. Just can't resist!
armchairsquid says
The ladies in my house made an amazing pink lemonade with fresh strawberries and raspberries. My wife also made clafoutis with cherries. Fun weekend!
Nancy Mock says
I saw that she made clafoutis. That lemonade sounds so good! I don't think I have had pink lemonade made that way before.
The Armchair Squid says
I may encourage a re-creation of the lemonade for an upcoming gathering... The kids need to have something fun to drink, too, right?
Nancy Mock says
Oh, they'd love it!
njmagas says
That cherry coffee cake looks amazing! I'm so happy cherries are in season again. At $2/lb I'm picking up another bag every week. Strawberries are still a bit on the expensive side, however. I'm going to have to raid a friend's garden for those.
Nancy Mock says
I know, fruit can get so pricey. Sometimes I can catch a good sale and pick up a bunch. Perhaps you could trade some cherries to your friend for her strawberries! 🙂