We have two Barbados Cherry bushes, which are about 4 years now and are producing a lot of cherries. We've been picking about a hundred cherries a day over the last 2-3 weeks. Finally the stage has come where our consumption cannot keep up with the number we are harvesting daily. So, naturally the next step was to figure out how to use these to make something tasty out of them. Various options went through my mind. Since these cherries are slightly tart even when ripe, I thought of many options like chutney, jam, jelly or lemonade. All of these will definitely taste good. I started with the intent of making a jelly so that I could preserve it for the year. However, as I was cooking the cherries, we started talking about ice creams and I decided to use the entire cherry pulp to make popsicles.
Now, pitting these cherries like a normal cherry is impossible because they have 3 seeds which have a leaf like structure around them and a lot of the pulp gets stuck to these seeds. So, I decided to cook them and then separate the seeds from the pulp. So, let's get into the details of how I made these popsicles.
Here is the Video Link
https://youtu.be/k5bwUPtUOWs
Ingredients
4 cups Barbados cherries
water
1 to 1.5 cups sugar, adjust to taste
1/8 tsp salt, adjust to taste
1 tbsp lemon juice, adjust to taste (optional)
Method
Place the cherries in a saucepan and add enough water to cover the cherries and bring it to a boil. Boil the cherries for a few minutes till the cherries soften. Then using a spatula, mash the cherries (see video) gently by pressing them to the side of the saucepan. If it is not easy to squeeze out the pulp by doing so, let the cherries cook further and get tender. Then, the seeds will start separating easily as you mash the cherries with the spatula. Then turn off the heat and let it cool down till it is easy to handle. Next strain the pulp mixture through a large sieve. Again using a spatula or your fingers press the pulp down through the sieve till the seeds remain. Discard the seeds.
Now, add the sugar to the pulp and salt. I recommend adding about 1/2-1 cup of sugar to begin with and increase the amount to taste. If needed, add some lemon juice to balance out the taste. I added about a tbsp of lemon juice to balance out the sweetness from the sugar.
Stir this mixture well to dissolve the sugar and salt. Taste the mixture before pouring into molds and make adjustments before freezing. Then pour this into molds and freeze. I was able to make 10 popsicles and froze the remaining mixture in a large glass bowl. I will cut it into slices and serve it as a sorbet.
Tips
If the seeds still have a lot of pulp stuck to them, pour some hot water on the seeds and then using your fingers (a spoon can be used but fingers work best), separate the pulp from the seeds. Strain this pulp through the sieve.
