New vegan recipes released to mark start of Picota cherry campaign

Vegan and plant-based recipe developers Nourishing Amy and Gina Burgess have released two new vegan recipes to celebrate the start of the European Picota cherry season – Picota cherry bakewell cookie cups and Picota cherry yoghurt clusters.

European Picota cherries are unique to the European Jerte Valley and protected by a denomination of origin (DO) certificate, which verifies the fruit has been grown, harvested, and packed under rigorous quality control procedures.

The European Picota variety is sold naturally stalkless, the stalks being left on the tree when harvested by hand, ensuring the fruit is only picked once optimum ripeness is reached. The largest export markets are the UK and Germany.

Agrupación de Cooperativas Valle del Jerte, which runs the campaign, said: “Naturally sweet and packed with goodness, European Picota cherries have a story as unique as their taste. For generations, these crunchy cherries have been produced at family run-farms carved out of the high mountainsides of the picturesque Jerte Valley.

“Only once optimum ripeness is reached is the fruit hand-picked before being carefully transported in baskets to a state-of-the-art packhouse”.

As well as its status as Europe’s only naturally stalkless cherry, the Picota variety boasts a uniquely fleshy and crunchy texture as well as a longer shelf life than other cherry varieties. Its deep red colour is indicative of the rich flavours that lie within.