My husband and I used to have a pair of cherry trees that he planted for me when we lived in New Mexico. They were incredibly prolific and always ripened the week before the 4th of July. Needless to say, we did not travel the week before or after that holiday. We’d pick the trees clean while fighting off squirrels, chipmunks and birds…who were also trying to pick the trees clean. Picking and prepping the fruit was a ton of work, but somehow the pies made it all worthwhile. I picked these up in Bixby, OK  this past summer (thank you, Carmichael’s), and brought home a load of happy memories with them.