It’s cherry season!

Do you know what that means? I’m buying all the cherries I can. If you’re anything like me, you’re waiting for cherry prices to drop every summer, and then going hog-wild. Maybe wild-cherry would be more appropriate?!

Can I share something with you? I didn’t even like cherries until a couple years ago. I guess “didn’t like” is a misnomer – it’s not that I didn’t like them, it’s that I hardly had any exposure to real, natural cherries. My experience with cherries growing up was picking out the far and few between bright pink cherry-like fruits in fruit cocktail, and artificially cherry-flavored Starburst.

We had other fruits to obsess over in the little Midwest town I spent my summers in – strawberry patches, watermelon, and the sweetest, juiciest cantaloupe I’ve ever had. Oh, and of course sweet corn. Always sweet corn.

But now, now I’m looking for all the ways to incorporate cherries into my summer routine! Speaking of buying all the cherries once they’re on sale, I’ve had an abundance. This Quick Cherry Quinoa Salad came to be because of just that: too many ingredients, too little time. Time as in, things need to be eaten before they go bad!

So I sat and thought, and I had everything that would fit perfectly together:

Sweet, slightly tart summer cherries
Bold blue cheese
Crunchy walnuts
Mildly sweet, tangy shallot
Fragrant rosemary
Peppery arugula (just a handful!)
Bright lemon juice
Sweet honey drizzle

I threw all these magical ingredients together and before I knew it I thought I definitely needed to share it with you. Who isn’t always looking for a quick, easy, delicious lunch recipe anyway? It’d also be great as a side dish, or a potluck offering. Especially when you’re trying to eat a little healthier between all those Oreo Bars and Sweet Corn Ice Cream.

I hate to bring it up, but it’s also going to be a great recipe to have on hand in about a month when… when… no, I can’t say it. Once that time comes and it’s no longer cherry season, I have a hunch that dried cherries will be almost as good in it, too! Never fear, we’re keeping this one around all year long!