This spicy mixture wows traditional salsa lovers.

• 1/2 cup dried tart cherries
• 1/2 cup cherry preserves
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon cherry juice
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1/4 chopped jalapeno peppers, or to taste
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon lime or lemon juice

Combine dried cherries, cherry juice, cherry preserves and vinegar in a small microwave-safe bowl; mix well. Microwave on High (100% power) 1 to 1-1/2 minutes, or until hot. Let stand 5 minutes.

Stir in red onion, yellow bell pepper, jalapeno peppers, cilantro and lime juice. Refrigerate, covered, 3 to 4 hours or overnight. Serve with grilled swordfish or tuna. Its also excellent as a topping for hamburgers. |makes about 1-1/2 cups; enough for 6 to 8 servings with a main course|

TIP – Add 1 cup of dried cherries to traditional cherry pie ã it increases the cherry flavor. Or add about 1/2 cup dried tart cherries to your favorite apple or peach pie recipe. The cherries complement the other fruit in the pie while adding flavor and color.

1 cup chopped peeled pineapple

1 cup chopped peeled mango

1 cup chopped yellow or red bell pepper.

2/3 cup chopped peeled kiwi fruit

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion.

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

1/8 cup of finely chopped frozen cherries or pitted fresh tart cherries

1/8 ounce of tart cherry juice concentrate

1 teaspoon fresh lime juice.

1/2 teaspoon minced Serrano chili (with seeds)

Ground white pepper.

Directions: Combine all ingredients in medium bowl. Season with white pepper and salt.Can be made 3 hours ahead. Makes about 4 cups.

Cherry Salsa

Served with grilled poultry, roast pork or tortilla chips, this spicy mixture wows traditional salsa lovers.

• 1 1/3 cups frozen unsweetened tart cherries
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped dried tart cherries
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh or canned
  jalapeno peppers, or to taste
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro or 1/2 teaspoon
  dried cilantro
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Coarsely chop frozen tart cherries. Let cherries thaw and drain, reserving 1 tablespoon cherry juice. When cherries are thawed, put drained cherries, dried cherries, onion, jalapenos, garlic and cilantro in a medium saucepan; mix well. In a small container, combine reserved cherry juice and cornstarch; mix until smooth, then stir into cherry mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat until mixture is thickened. Let cool. Serve with tortilla chips and/or cooked chicken or pork.

Makes about 1 cup.

Hot out of the oven, mushroom caps are an elegant appetizer.

• 30 large mushrooms (about 1 pound)
• 1/2 pound bulk pork sausage
• 1 cup chopped dried tart cherries
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

Pull stems from mushrooms and discard (or save for another use). Rinse mushroom caps; drain well. Set aside.

Cook sausage in a large skillet 5 minutes, or until sausage is done. Stir occasionally to break up meat. Remove from heat. Add dried cherries, green onions and cream cheese; mix well. Fill each mushroom cap with a heaping teaspoon of sausage mixture. Place filled mushrooms on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 425-degree oven 6 to 8 minutes. Serve immediately.

Makes 30.

Make sure to download your free super fruit handbook at www.superfruithandbook.com

As the thousands of attendees at the Grand Rapids International Food and Wine Festival sampled countless wines they were also treated to free samples of Traverse Bay Farms award winning salsas.  

In addition to receiving free samples of the entire line of Traverse Bay Farms award winning salsa many of they attendees also enjoyed the black bean, cherry and garden salsa with free egg samples from Egglands Best. Each free sample offered by Egglands Best was also accompanied by the option of including the Traverse Bay Farms salsa as a topper. 

“We are extremely pleased by the positive comments and feedback we received from many of the attendees and chef’s attending the International Food and Wine Festival. We also have a number of people ask us which of our salsa were available at the Egglands Best. ”, said Andy LaPointe, Director of Marketing with Traverse Bay Farms.

The company also sampled their complete line of barbeque sauces including red raspberry, apple and cherry to the chef’s and attending public. For many of the attendees this was their first introduction to the Traverse Bay Farms line of gourmet foods.

The peach, pineapple and red raspberry salsa were the favorite foods of many from the public which received free tasting samples from Traverse Bay Farms. Wendy C. from Grand Rapids said, “Your red raspberry salsa sauce is the best salsa I have ever tasted. It is the perfect blend of raspberries and jalapeno’s”.

In addition to being voted the best salsa in America two years in a row at America’s Best™ Professional Food Competition, Traverse Bay Farms is also the recipient of a “Special Tribute” from the State of Michigan.

Here is an overview of the awards won by Traverse Bay Farms at Americas Best™ Professional Food Competition:

2008 – Salsa General – Overall Salsa Category:

1st PLACE: Traverse Bay Farms – Peach Salsa

2008 – Salsa – Fruit Category:

3rd PLACE: Traverse Bay Farms – Peach Salsa

In addition to winning in 2008, Traverse Bay Farms was also voted America #1 salsa in 2007. Here is an overview of the 2007 awards.

 Salsa – Fruit Category:

1st PLACE: Traverse Bay Farms – Pineapple Salsa

3rd PLACE: Traverse Bay Farms – Raspberry Salsa

 Salsa – Bean Category:

1st PLACE: Traverse Bay Farms – Bean Salsa

 Salsa General – Overall Salsa Category:

2nd PLACE: Traverse Bay Farms – Corn Salsa

 www.traversebayfarms.com / www.fruitadvantage.com

We just returned from the Grands Rapids Wine and Food show and had a great event. We received excellent feedback on our salsa, cherry juice concentrate and our pumpkin butter. I’ll be uploading some testimonials over the next few days.