Cherries

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SUMMER/FALL FRUIT

Description :

Cherries are a small round stone fruit. They come in both sweet and sour varieties.

They grow in areas where the summers are not overly hot and the winters are not severe. In order to blossom, cherries require the winter cold.

There are three main types of cherries, sweet, sour and sweet-sour.

The Bing Cherry is probably the most well known sweet variety in North America. When ripe, this fruit is a deep burgundy or mahogany color, juicy and firm in taste and texture. They are a large sized cherry with a delicious sweet flavor.

Rainier Cherries are another sweet variety of cherry and have a soft golden-white colored skin with a hint of pink to red blush. They have a very sweet and delicate flavor with a clear colored flesh.

Sour Cherries are a smaller variety with bright red skin. Because of their sour taste they are usually sweetened, cooked and used in recipes for preserves or pies.

Dukes or Royales fall under the sweet-sour category of cherries. They are simply a cross between the sweet and the sour cherries.

Cherries become available at different times depending on the location but cherry season runs throughout the warm months of the year and are available from June through September.


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Selecting:

When selecting, find the most freshly picked that are available and look for crisp green and plump looking stems.

For the sweet varieties, look for plump, firm, glossy and deeply colored cherries. The deeper the color is the sweeter the taste will be.

When choosing Rainier cherries (the white variety), look for those that are unblemished, firm and with a nice blush of color.

For sweet-sour cherries, look for ones with a nice overall even color that are on the firm side but not hard to the touch.

Things to avoid when purchasing this fruit are dull looking cherries that are bruised or leaking, are shriveled or soft. Also take a look at the stems and avoid those that are dark and brittle looking.

Storing and Handling:

Another very perishable fruit, they should be stored immediately in the refrigerator. They will last for approximately one to two days depending on the freshness of the product.

Preparing:

Wash thoroughly just before using under cool running water. A cherry pitter is probably the easiest way to remove the pit although you can carefully cut around the pit of the cherry and twist the two halves open and remove the pit.

Raw: wash thoroughly and just enjoy.


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Serving Suggestions:

Salads: Washed and pitted sweet cherries are a terrific addition to any fruit salad. A simple salad can be made with prepared cherries, mandarin oranges, grapes and pineapple chunks. Add a dollop of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt and top with sliced almonds. It’s a quick and easy light meal or dessert anytime.

Additional Uses for Cherries: This delicious fruit makes a great pie filling and preserve ingredient, especially the sour variety. It also combines well with duck, pork and goose. Dried cherries are also a great flavoring for salads, both fruit and vegetable, as well as meat dishes.


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Seasonings and Foods to use: almonds, chocolate (white, milk or semi-sweet), cinnamon, duck, goose, pork, sour cream, yogurt


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