Food Column: A visitor makes life just a bowl of cherries
I watched in horror as the “beast” wrenched another limb off my beloved cherry tree. While I could literally feel my blood pressure rising, I couldn’t for the life of me figure out just exactly what this critter was.
I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about animals. They have always fascinated me but this particular creature was something I had never seen before. It had a goat-like face, a fuzzy, drop-down tail, nub like stumps for horns and its soft brown fur had a woolly appearance.
And yet despite the fact that it was doing a number on my tree, the creature was, at least to me, extremely attractive. I put out my hand, wheedling seductively for it to come closer but it only stared at me. Then it nonchalantly started moseying down the driveway and I panicked. It was heading straight for a busy country road where conservative speed is rarely observed.
When I was a kid, I had a fancy notion that someday I would grow up to be a cowgirl. I would drag out one of my dad’s saw horses, sit on it and for hours practice the fine art of roping. I would lasso anything that came within my range including bicycles, cats, dogs and even people although this was frowned upon especially by the victim.
As the creature started off down the driveway, it suddenly dawned on me that maybe my former lassoing skills could come in handy here. I retrieved a rope from the barn, walked slowly toward the critter and started swinging. I knew if I missed, it would take off like a shot, but I am proud to say, all my skills came flooding back as if only yesterday I was twirling a lariat from the back of a saw horse.
Once I felt my loop had sufficient speed and depth, I threw it out and the noose fell cleanly over the head of the animal and with care I reeled it in to get a closer look. Once the creature was caught it came to me docilely, letting me run my hand over its face and body.
I knew right then this animal was very tame but for the life of me I had no idea where it could have come from. Its demeanor was gentle enough toward me but that changed when Crawdad the cat stalked up with a look in her eye that meant “I own this place.” When the cat got too close the animal lowered its head and gave Crawdad a good thump, quickly ending that standoff.
At one point the animal came up close to my face as if to get a good look into my eyes, then it softly burped and started chewing its cud. Pretty soon it was laying at my feet like a dog. I was in love.
It wasn’t long before I heard the strident cries of the neighbor kids. They were calling a name and as it wafted through the woods I knew they were looking for this little animal. I too called out, “I have your beast,” and they came bursting through the trees with worry and relief on their faces.
It was a happy reunion. Obviously “Lambie” was just as glad to see these kids as he let out a little “baa” and ran toward them.
Then I got the story on how this interesting creature came to be my neighbor, although the kids had no idea just what breed Lambie was. So I did a little research on the Internet and found out he has a lot of Barbados Blackbelly sheep in his heritage. This is a unique breed that originated in the Caribbean although they are believed to have come from Africa many years ago.
They are actually a “hair” sheep and shed their fur every year, never needing to be shorn. These sheep are very disease resistant and parasite tolerant so they are often used in cross breeding operations. Barbados are primarily raised for their lean and mild flavored meat and in fact, the kids’ dad told me that was his intention when he purchased Lambie. My fervent hope is that this gentle creature will somehow survive that particular demise.
This week I’m featuring a favorite recipe of mine that includes cherries. I love this fruit, hence the reason why I planted a couple of cherry trees in the first place, although one is looking a little chewed up these days. However, the carnage was well worth it just getting to meet Lambie.
Many times I marvel at how life’s best moments have a way of quietly showing up right in your own backyard. Now I’m thinking that maybe a couple of these sheep might round out my own homestead in the near future. I have this vision of sitting in a comfortable lawn chair, on a warm summer day, sipping a cool beverage, while my “flock” takes care of the mowing and weed whacking. And like one of my favorite song lyrics says, life would be just a bowl of cherries.
Cherry Pancakes
1 tsp. butter
1 Tbs. butter
1/2 cup milk
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbs.granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
½ tsp. cinnamon
2 cups halved, pitted sour cherries, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup sliced almonds
Confectioners’ sugar or maple syrup
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place 1 teaspoon butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or ovenproof nonstick skillet and transfer to the oven to melt it. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a small pan or in the microwave. Transfer to a medium bowl and whisk in milk, eggs, and vanilla. Add flour, granulated sugar, salt, and cinnamon and whisk to combine. Remove the pan from the oven, tilting it to coat the bottom with butter. Add cherries. Pour the batter over the cherries and sprinkle with almonds. Bake the pancake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before cutting into 4 wedges. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar or maple syrup, if desired.
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