Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Cherry Hunting Season

It's been raining cats and dogs on most days this summer. Thus, organising an outing on weekends is a tricky thing. But of course, being a faithful believer of the adage "where there's a will, there's a way," I stopped listening to the weather forecast and just follow my instinct.

Anyway, last week, Aunty Rose (Mama's BFF since her school days) came all the way from Malaysia and she brought her family too. Of course, on top of the compulsory touristy stuff like visiting the Opera House, Harbour Bridge etc, Mama suggested some PYO activities as well. And this being summer, it's also the season for mangoes and the stone fruits. Since cherries are the first in the season, so cherry picking seems to be the logical choice.

Believing the weather forecast (at first) and after hearing reports that the cherry harvest is badly affected by too much rain, we had to do frantic research and get the right information. We called up several orchards in Bathurst (first choice as it's the nearest) and Young (the cherry capital). 

We reckon many people were put off by the bad reports that many didn't go cherry picking at our favourite orchard (coz it's organic) in Bathurst. So, when we called the orchard and were told: "Yes, please come. We still have some fruits available," we were ecstatic.

And off we went to Bathurst last weekend....in search of the lush-est, juici-est, red-dest, bling-est cherry. Oh yess....drool people. The pictures tell all.

The adventure began here.....
Uncle Z "caught" the first cherry!
Remember! Just the maroon ones - the darker the colour, the sweeter the fruit.
Pick them one by one, by the stem.
Ooooh....droool...
Those red dots are cherries, of course.
The cherry hunting family at work.
Aunty Rose aka Queen Cherry Hunter!
Cherry hunters with their "catch". 
The "catch" weighed, valued and boxed before we could take it home.
Abang A trying out the lawn mower.
We left the orchard just as the heavy rain began to fall. All of the hunters were also hungry....hey...I thought everyone ate tons of cherries while picking... We're all carnivores and so we must have protein. We brought Mama's portable BBQ set and the task was to find a picnic area with roofed facilities. After several minutes of driving around Bathurst looking for a suitable place, we ended up at Berry Park.  

Yummm...pure carnivore stuffs. There were steaks, lamb chops, chicken kebab, chicken sausages and beef ribs.
The journey home was fraught with heavy rain, fog and strong wind. Everyone ends up snoring in the car except for Uncle Z who was behind the wheels, Oh, we stopped by a petrol station and bought him coffee so that he'd stay alert. 

Ooooh....all this writing makes me yearn for those cherries in the fridge. purrrr.....meow! 

44 comments:

Angie, Catladyland said...

How wonderful!! I love cherries, but they are not native to where I live in Minnesota. In the summer we like to pick strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. And then we go apple-picking in the fall.

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Angie dear,
Apple season is also in summer, usually PYO orchards open their gates to public starting from Boxing Day. We've posted about apple picking a couple of times in the past. Oh, the berries are also in season, as well as mangoes. I am so "fruitified"!!!! purrr....meow!

Monyet King said...

heii... how is it that the monyets were not invited ? we love cherries, you know.

Cat and DOG Chat With Caren said...

I loved this! I loved the photo of "Aunty Rose" peeking through the leaves of the cherry tree....there is so much charm in her face and I saw a twinkle of mischief in her eyes!

Being in Michigan, Traverse City is known for their cherries...(Traverse City is gorgeous and is in Northern Michigan) I have never gone cherry picking but would love to.

Now...you KNOW I am going to comment about your BBQ....OMG! OMG! OMG!! Nothing better!!!! I could smell the deliciousness through the computer!
xoxoxo

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Your Royal Monyetness,
Do you think the orchard owner would let you in? The trees are too small for you to swing from one to another. purrrr.....meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Caren,
You must go cherry picking one day. Mama just plonked herself under a tree with loads of fruits and start picking while eating. Didn't even budge when it started to rain.
Oh...can you imagine the sort of mischief my Mama and Aunty Rose would be up to when they were in school? Even now, they would sometimes go on their "adventures". purrr.....meow!

i amsterdam said...

Dear Cats,

The cherries are certainly the lushest, juiciest and blingest!!! I'm droolinggg now looking at them and at your BBQ and I'm fasting todayy!!! Hmm...lucky me, only one hour left.

Cheqna said...

drooling drooling....we should go next but now "panggilan korea/amsterdam" is stronger...hehehe


:-)

Naz in Norway said...

I can seeeee youuuuuuuu! *muahahhaha*

Al-Manar said...

If I were the owner of the cherry farm I made doubly sure no one was allowed to walk in and out without going through a weighing scale, and none of those excuses going to the .... before weighing. You can meow as loudly as you wish, no way..

Cat and DOG Chat With Caren said...

I really must! Traverse City is quite a distance away but it isn't out of the question.

Ohhhh yes I can imagine the mischief that you two would get into....I am starting to know you better (smile) and I can see the mischief in Aunty Rose's eyes! :)

tireless mom said...

PYO activities are not for poyos kan? Cos this cherry picking is yummylicious and for yummies like me too! Naaaaaakkkkk!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Mother of Ilham,
Aaah....tell me when you're fasting again so I can post more food photos. har har har *evil laughs*

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Cheqna,
But Korea/Amsterdam are buried in snow now. purrr....meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Naz,
Cherry picking in Moloy next August? Boleh? purrr.....meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Caren,
My Mama said: we were naughty but we were also the teacher's pets.... har har har *evil laughs*
When is the cherry season in North America?

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Dear Pakcik,
Hmmm...weighing before and after? No...that's not the Aussie way. The deal is eat as much as you can, you only pay for what you want to take home. That's why we chose an organic farm, no danger of pesticide. purrrr.....meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Yatt,
You are so right. I won't allow any poyos to tag along. purrr....meow!

kaykuala said...

You cute little kitty! Having lots of fun in Sydney - cherry picking and all. This is my first foray onto your blog. What a treasure trove! Seen your skits on Pakcik's quite regularly. Should pinch myself for not looking you up earlier.I had good servings with Auntie Ninot at the Club yesterday (served on the table, nice and proper and waited on).This is the first and certainly not the last. I mean my visit not the lunch.

Have fun! Salam! oops! meewo..mioh..(no, I just couldn't meow proper)

Hank

Wan Sharif said...

mm.. looks like a so-delicious-PYO cherry activity.. bilalah akan di izinkan Allah untuk menyertai aktiviti sebegini??

meowwmania said...

wow beso nya cherry!! petik sndiri lak tuh best nyerrrr.........

mntak bijik dia boley nak tnm kat malaysia hikhik...

Cat and DOG Chat With Caren said...

I believe Cherry season here is May..........

:)

TK said...

It's nice to have fresh cherries from the trees..berkilat2 buahnya.meleleh air liur!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Dear Kaykuala....errr....how do I address you? Uncle Hank?
Welcome to my crazy world. It's OK if you can't meow properly...I'll teach you. Aaah...so you've been feted by Aunty Ninot, eh? Lucky you. purrrr....meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Ayoh Wang,
Buatlah lawatan sambil belajar.... purrr....meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Meoww,
Kat Malaysia ada juga pokok ceri...alah...yang burung suka makan tu. purrrr.....meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Caren,
May is the citrus season here, as well as grapes.....oooh...I love the navel oranges, mandarins and tangerines too. purrr....meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

TK Sensei,
Itulah...kita suruh buat rombongan Cik Kiah ke Sydney, dia asyik nak ke Bandung! Next year, erk? purrr....meow!

Sandy said...

I envy you !! Those cherries look shiny and tempting ! :D I actually never tried fresh cherries ,how sad is that ?

Nana said...

Ahaha...kat Malaysia ada pokok ceri juga kan. Betul, betul. I dulu selalu petik lepas balik sekolah.
But the cherry in Aussie besar2! Different from Japanese cherry which is smaller and the color is brighter. Nothing can beat Japanese cherry's price! ¥2000 for 200 gram. That is equivalent to RM75 for just 200gram!! Crazy right?

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Tante Sandy,
Ahhh...you've missed one of earthly pleasures....purrr...meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Nana,
Wow! That is so "cekik darah" price. We paid $10 per kg because it's organic (last year it was just $8). The non-organic ones are from $7 this year. Last year when harvest was better, we can get them at just $5 at the shops. purrr...meow!

Traveliztera said...

WOW!!!
I really really love cherries and lamb! HUrray for the portable BBQ set! Hehe!

Have a merry xmas! ;)

rohaizahabas said...

terpesona melihat cherries yang segar bergantungan...boleh hantar balik satu goni tak..hehehe

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Traveliztera dear,
Did I make you drool? We had both on the same day...yummm.... purrr...meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Ezza,
Satu goni je? Kalau satu kontena senang sikit...har har har... purrr....meow!

i amsterdam said...

ha..ha..ha.. notty cat !!!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Mother of Ilham,
Am not notty....but knotty! Too much cherry tree climbing. purrrr....meow!

Cat and DOG Chat With Caren said...

you are sooo lucky! It sounds as if you live in the Garden Of Eden!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Caren,
We'd like to think so too. purrrr...meow!

lupie said...

I love Cherries!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Very expensive here though ...

Kena dig deep into my pockets .. which is now quite empty ... hahaha :)

Well, it is the holiday season!!
Have a great holiday!!!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Lupie,
Hey....long time no see. Yeah...we're lucky to live in an area where cherries are in abundance. purrr....meow!

~CovertOperations78~ said...

What a delightful outing to pick one of your favourite fruits ever! The cherries look juicy and sweet, your photography skills are so good that you're making me drool! Meowy Kissmutts, kitties!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

CO78,
Yeah...it's kismet. Wish you were there too. purrrr....meow!