When life gives you cherries, make slushies

When sweet cherries arrive in a crimson wave rolling across the country from the Northwestern U.S., my fingers soon turn red. Red from pitting dozens of cherries. Pitted cherries will keep a few days in a covered container in the refrigerator. Easiest snacking ever. When you tire of eating them straight out of the jar, toss some into a fruit salad or bake a cherry upside-down cake (add a squeeze of lime juice for a little burst of tartness). With a jar of pitted cherries in the refrigerator, all things cherry are now within your grasp.

But the highest calling for a batch of pitted cherries may be a cherry-lime slushie. There's a reason Sonic Drive-In's Cherry Limeade Slush is a fan favorite. Copycat recipes online call for maraschino cherries and lemon-lime soda. Tasty, no doubt, for some, but not the fresh drink I'm craving.

It was Lyn Deardorff of the Learning Kitchen who taught me to make her version by pureeing fresh cherries with a bit of sugar and lime juice, then turning it into a slushie with the addition of ice. It's perfect for a hot summer day.

And ripe for customization. Less sweet? More lime? You are in control here. Add more cherries for a thicker drink. More ice for a thicker slush. It's up to you. If you want a cocktail, add a tablespoon or two of vodka or an aged rum.

The bonus, for those who love to squeeze out every last bit of flavor from their produce, is transforming those cherry pits into cherry syrup with the help of some sugar and time. The result is a rich red, deeply flavored syrup perfect for drizzling over ice cream (move over maraschino cherry on top) or to sweeten a glass of sparkling water.

BY C.W. CAMERON CONTRIBUTED Combine cherries and limes for a frozen treat.