Week four of our season-long garden party Summer Fest 2011 welcomes food and garden bloggers to feature garden-to-table recipes and tips. We’ll help you to enjoy all that this season has to offer. So far, we’ve delved into eggplant, peaches and cucumbers. Now we're chowing down on cherries.

In season summer fruit is so sweet and juicy, you don't even need to think about adding sugar to your favorite drinks, you can just add succulent fruit. One of the best ways to drink cherries this summer is in a classic fruity cocktail: sangria.

No matter how you make your sangria (there are so many options), I'd advise skipping the simple syrup and relying solely on the flavor of your fruit. Pick from white sangria that's chock full of lemons, limes, peaches and white Spanish wine or red sangria that's filled with apples, oranges and a dry red wine. Sangria is great for masking cheaper wines or serving drinks to a large crowd. Me, I'll just sip it on a Wednesday evening.

Purchase cherries from your local farmers' market.

Pit cherries and slice in half.

Slice oranges, a lemon and a peach.

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours. Serve over ice.

Cooking With Elise: Roasted Cherries with Lavender and Almond Panna Cotta