Stories: Fond Memories of Butler Ranch and Cherry Tamales
by Carla Musik
Every year we’d eagerly await the end of May and for word to go around that
the cherries were ready. Planning our annual trip was a delightful ritual
that became a part of the fabric of our year, another special event like
birthdays and holidays.
The first time I went up to Butler Ranch was with Lynn Newton, my younger son Isaiah and a few of Lynn’s children. We drove up in her van and happily
ate and picked our way through the Bing trees full of the plumpest juiciest
deep red cherries, some as large as small plums. The children ran around
merrily, clambering up and down ladders and trees with cherry juice on their
contented faces. It seemed a bit of heaven on earth, a true garden of Eden.
Lynn suggested we also pick some Queen Anne cherries on the other side and we drove over to find ourselves stuck, sliding down the hill. I went back
and asked for help. George came to our rescue in his tractor but soon was
also stuck slipping down the hill as well. George had to call for a large
truck to come up from Ukiah to pull us both out! By that time we were all a
bit hot and cranky and I do believe we took a dip in the pond ...or was that
the next year?
George’s ready warm smile was our welcome each year as we’d chat for a few minutes before heading off on our yearly cherry adventure to sample and discover our favorite trees. As my younger son grew older his forays were bolder and higher; often with a friend along the boys would head off to fill their bellies as well as their buckets.
One year, lost now in a melange of cherry haze, I met an older Mexican woman who had many buckets full. I asked her what she was going to do with so many cherries-canning? freezing? jam? Her reply initiated another annual family tradition which was awaited with pleasure by many close friends with whom I’d share fresh cherry tamales.
I experimented until I found a good recipe to follow. Not using lard meant mixing my own masa or dough with either oil, which yields a bit drier tamal, or crisco-type soft vegetable shortening, which while perhaps being less healthy than oil cooks up to a much softer tamal. I mixed brown sugar and canela- cinammon into the masa and then would push 4 or 5 whole cherries into each raw tamal spread onto corn husks and steam them for 40 minutes. A real treat, I froze some and gave away small bags full as gifts.
I moved to Sonoma County in 1998 and tried to keep track of what was happening with Butler Ranch. I did go up and pick one last time during a two week window that his son and daughter-in-law opened up to the public. The cherries seemed smaller and less abundant. I missed George’s sunny presence, though his spirit was there and I could feel him in the whisper of the leaves.
When I heard that the ranch had been sold and the cherry trees were cut down I wept. Such a loss... Thank you for so many fabulous years of wonderful
cherries.
