Those sweet, crunchy orbs come and go all too soon, don't they?

But Payson Fruit Growers has a way to let you enjoy them all year-round.

Founded in 1964, the farmer-owned business processes tart cherries that are grown on local farms in the Payson, Utah area. Last year, I had a chance to sample some of their products.

Some of the tart Montmorency cherries are turned into Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate ($18 for 1 quart). The thick, syrupy concentrate is fabulous for adding to smoothies or to pan sauces for duck, pork or chicken.

They're also great for baking. I used them in this straightforward, can't-miss recipe for "Raspberry-Cherry Crumble Bars" from "The Art & Soul of Baking" (Andrews McMeel) by Cindy Mushet and Sur La Table.

Flour, oats, brown sugar and butter are combined in a mixer or food processor until the texture of coarse sand. Half the mixture is pressed into a pan, then baked. Once it cools, you spread a mixture of raspberry jam and tart dried cherries over it, then sprinkle on the remaining flour-oat mixture before baking again. The recipe calls for "seedless" raspberry jam. I could get my hands only on the kind with seeds, so that's what I used and it worked just fine.

When I sent my husband to work with some, his colleagues joked that they were going to jump him for the rest after trying just one. That's how wonderful they are.

Click here for more on these luscious cherries and for recipe for the impossible to resist crumble bars.