Up North

There is nothing I crave more in the summer than a bowl of fresh cherries. In fact, while I spent my month in Asia I honestly thought of cherries quite often. Although the fruit there was exotic, the taste wasn't nearly as satisfying as the variety of fruit I usually eat at home. However, I contribute my cherry craving to the summers in Traverse City with my best friend Tia. Her family owned a cherry orchard up north, and for those of you who don't know, Traverse City, Michigan is incredibly well known for their cherries. They produce 70-75% of the U.S. tart cherries and nothing even comes close to tasting as tangy as they do. Usually around sunset, her and I would take buckets to the orchard and fill them up past the brim free of cost (the picture below is me in 2011). I even managed to smuggle at least a bag full home for my Dad every year, since he loved them just as much as I did. Today while I eat cherries out of my mason jar at the Athens Health Department, I can not help but miss those summer nights (and unbelievable cherries) I was able to experience in northern Michigan. I owe thanks to Tia and her family for those invaluable memories.