When I see Rainier cherries, those lovely blush-yellow beauties, I can’t pass them by. My mother used to buy them for me as a treat, and somehow their sweet, peachy flavor reminds me of idyllic summer days and picnics and barbecues. Of course, we don’t grow them commercially on the Island, but they are in grocery stores right now.
I nabbed some at Cronig’s. And thinking many of you will be grilling over this long holiday weekend, I decided to turn some of them into a salsa with lime, cilantro, minced scallions, and a bit of jalapeño. Delicious!
I paired this Yellow Cherry Salsa (*agf) with our recipe for Grilled Ginger-Lime-Cilantro Marinated Butterflied Chicken Breasts (*agf). The lime and the cilantro in both made a nice flavor bridge. FYI: I didn’t butterfly the breasts this time, and just increased the cooking time by about three minutes on both sides.
You could also serve the salsa with Grilled Spiced Chicken Brochettes (*agf without the limey drizzling sauce).
The salsa would also be fabulous with grilled pork tenderloin, grilled swordfish or tuna, on grilled toast with goat cheese, with salty tortilla chips — or in tacos! I’d suggest these Grilled Swordfish Tacos or these Shrimp Tacos or Tostadas.
And FYI, if you’d rather drink your cherries than eat them, you should definitely try Cathy Walthers’ delicious non-alcoholic Cherry Tonic, made with Feverfew Elderflower Tonic Water.
It’s a little early to be showcasing tomatoes, I know, but since Morning Glory’s high tunnel tomatoes are in, you could indulge in tomato salads this weekend. A perfect one for the potluck is this Cool Pasta with Tomatoes, Feta, Olives, Basil & Capers.
But if it is just you and your honey, make Martha Holmberg’s wonderful BLT Salad with Creamy Salad Dressing as a side or starter.
And if you’re looking for something heartier for dinner, make this Improv Pasta with Basil Sauce, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Green Beans and Parmigiano.
It’s going to be hot-hot-hot all over the country this weekend, so why not plan to make ice cream or another frozen dessert to have on hand?
My very favorite is (again) something my mother made, usually right around my July birthday – ice cream pie. I adapted her recipe to make mine, Summer Berry and Vanilla Ice Cream Pie with Chocolate Sauce, by incorporating homemade ice cream.
The best Summer Berry Ice Cream I ever made was based on wild black raspberries gathered right here on the Vineyard. But since they are elusive (and the birds like them), I’ve found that a combination of raspberries and blackberries is (almost) as good. You can use that recipe to make strawberry ice cream, too. And of course, you can make the pie with all store-bought ice cream as well.
I have to say, I’m equally fond of Abby Dodge’s Irresistible Ice Cream Sandwiches – and they are even easier to serve since you make, cut, and freeze them ahead. You get to use your favorite ice cream flavors (a combo of two is fun), and Abby’s directions, as always, are spot on.
Another super-fun dessert from Abby is stored, half-made, in the freezer until serving time. In the recipe for Make-Ahead S’mores Squares, you make the graham cracker and chocolate base and keep that in the freezer. You pop on the marshmallows and broil right before serving.
And for a super-easy frozen make-ahead, put together a batch of Frozen Berry Pops.
They can be alpha-gal friendly (*agf) if you use organic cane sugar in the blueberry sauce. (And be sure to check that you are using a maple syrup that does not use an animal-based defoaming agent. Organic is the way to go here, too.)
Or make Emily Meegan’s Frozen Chocolate-Coconut Pops. These can also be alpha-gal friendly (*agf) if you’re sure to use a dark chocolate that does not contain milk solids.
I hope you all got a chance to take a look at the special newsletter we sent out last Friday, a guide to cooking with alpha-gal. In it, I included a very short poll, which I put a 24-hour time limit on – by mistake. In other words, I meant to keep the poll open longer. So I am including the poll again here (and hopefully pressing the right button to keep it open for a few days!) Please do not take the poll if you took it last week – I intend to combine results from both.
Have you seen Martha’s Vineyard Magazine’s 2026 Best of the Vineyard issue? Be sure to pick it up on the newsstand. And in the meantime, you can find out who won in the food categories (best burger! best lobster roll! best bakery!) right here.
In the new (July) edition of The Vine, Laura Holmes Haddad reports on what’s new and delicious this summer season at Edgartown’s popular Town Bar & Grill MV.
(*agf) = alpha-gal-friendly
Stay cool and be sure to follow Cook the Vineyard on Instagram. As always, if you have any questions, leave a comment here or feel free to email us at cookthevineyard@vineyardgazette.com.
— Susie Middleton, editor
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Order Grace Church Lobster Rolls online or walk up between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Friday nights. Chowder, hot dogs and pie slices also available.
The West Tisbury Farmers’ Market is every Wednesday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at the Ag Society.
The Edgartown Village Market is held on Tuesdays at the Dr. Daniel Fisher House from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Beetlebung Farm will conduct farm tours this summer every Monday from 4 to 4:30 p.m.
Ghost Island Farm is open daily.
North Tabor Farm is open daily, dawn to dusk.
Beetlebung Farm is now open Wednesday to Monday (every day except Tuesday), 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Morning Glory Farm is open 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Mermaid Farm is always open!
The Fish House is open daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The takeout area is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
John’s Fish Market is open Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Net Result in Vineyard Haven is closed for renovations. Opening soon.
Larsen’s Fish Market in Menemsha is open daily 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Menemsha Fish Market is open daily, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., except for closing at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays.
Edgartown Seafood is open daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Edgartown Meat & Fish Market is open daily, 7 a.m to 7 p.m.
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