Mmmm, the cherry. No other fruit compares to its perfect, unblemished globe shape … the cool firmness of its ruby-red flesh … its sweet and tangy taste. It’s a seasonal favorite that seems to be abundant in the produce section one day and gone the next; something that I look forward to, mouth watering, from the very first day the temperature reaches summer-like status. A very versatile fruit, cherries are great for eating fresh, and wonderful in all sorts of recipes from crepes to chutneys.

The cherry’s “sweet” history …

Exactly where the cherry originated remains unclear, but the popular theory is that it came from somewhere between the Black and Caspian seas of Asia Minor and was carried by birds to Europe, where it grew wild. The Greek writer Theophrastus wrote about cherries around 300 BC, but historians believe that they were being cultivated long before Theophrastus’s time – possibly centuries. In the 16th century, cherries were grown in England and Germany, and in the 17th century, colonists brought the sweet fruits with them on their journey to New England. By that time, the English had developed nearly two dozen different cherry varieties. When the French settlers from Normandy came to the Midwest, they planted cherry pits along the Saint Lawrence River and in the vicinity of the Great Lakes.

It is a Presbyterian missionary from Michigan, Peter Dougherty, who can be credited with beginning modern-day cherry production. In 1852 he planted cherry trees near Traverse City, Michigan. Dougherty was told that the trees would fail to grow due to the climate, but much to everyone’s surprise, they flourished. It turns out that the climate was actually ideal there; the soil was sandy, perfect for cherry trees, and Lake Michigan cooled the orchards in the summer and tempered the frigid winds in the winter. Others began planting cherry trees, and the success of their growth brought the first commercial sour cherry orchard, Ridgewood Farm, in 1893. By the early 1900s, Traverse City was home to a booming cherry industry, which spread to the surrounding areas. The Traverse City Canning Company became the first cherry processing facility, and shipped its wares to cities such as Chicago, Milwaukee, and Detroit.

While sour cherries were becoming an industry in Michigan, sweet cherry orchards were thriving in the Willamette Valley near Salem, Oregon, thanks to a man named Henderson Luelling and his brother Seth (who spelled his last name “Lewelling”). Henderson had planted his orchard in 1847 using root stock from Iowa that he transported to Oregon by way of oxen. Seth joined his brother at his orchard and took over it in 1854, expanding it soon thereafter. He developed a sweet and succulent cherry, and he named the variety Bing, after a Manchurian workman who he employed during the 1870s and 1880s. The Lambert cherry also got its start on Lewelling Farms, but it was the Bing that became popular (and stayed that way; to this day, Bing cherries are the leading commercial variety of sweet cherry). In 1876, Lewelling Farms’ Bing cherries were exhibited at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, and sold for a whopping three cents per cherry.

Cherries vary: the different types …

Cherries come in two categories: sweet and tart. Sweet cherries are the most popular.

• Bing – as we’ve discussed, the Bing is king when it comes to the demand for sweet cherries. It is a large, plump variety with dark, purple-red flesh and dark ruby skin that turns nearly black when fully ripe.
• Lambert – the second most popular variety. It’s a red, heart-shaped fruit, very similar in taste to the Bing.
• Rainier – the third most popular, developed at the Washington State University Research Station by Dr. Harold Fogle. It is sweeter and milder than the Bing, and has creamy yellow and pink flesh and skin.
• Royal Ann – this variety is most often made into maraschino cherries. It was in 1896 that cherry processors in the United States began experimenting with making Royal Ann cherries into maraschinos, following the lead of the original maraschino cherries – a variety called Marasca that Italian merchants soaked in liqueur. The processors substituted almond oil for some of the liqueur in the cherries, eventually omitted the liqueur altogether, and by 1920 the Royal Ann version of the maraschino had replaced the Italian delicacy in the United States.
• Sour cherries – the tart varieties, Montmorency and Morello being the most common types, are a very bright red in color and much smaller than the sweets. They’re most often canned or frozen and used for pie fillings and sauces. Michigan grows over 75% of the tart cherry crop in a five-county area around Lake Traverse.

All varieties of cherry have remarkably short growing seasons. Bings are generally available from the end of May to early August, reaching their peak season in June and July. Its sweet counterparts such as Van, Lambert, and Rainier are available a tad bit longer, until about mid-August or so. The cherry varieties that appear earlier and later in the season than Bings are softer and less sweet. Any fresh cherries you see in the store after August are most likely from cold storage, although some stores import small quantities of sweet cherries from New Zealand during the winter months. The growing season of sour cherries such as Morello and Montmorency is blink-and-you’ll-miss-it short – it both begins and ends in July!

How to pick cherries … from the supermarket.

The flavor and texture of cherries are compromised in warm temperatures, so make sure they’ve been kept in a cool, moist area. Since grocery stores most often display cherries piled up in bins or boxes, the fruit tends to get roughly handled – so when choosing your cherries, take just a few into your hand at a time and inspect them closely. A good cherry should be large (roughly an inch or more in diameter), hard, glossy, plump, and dark. The color of a good Bing, for example, will be so dark purple that it almost looks black. Toss back the fruits that are small in comparison to the rest, that don’t feel as firm, or that have cuts or bruises on the surface or are sticky from the leakage of juice. When a bunch of cherries in the bin are spoiled, they’ll trigger the surrounding fruit’s spoilage process, so consider buying your cherries somewhere else if a good portion of the fruit is unsavory. Check the stems; they should be green and look fresh. A dark stem is the sign of poor storage conditions or old age. Don’t buy cherries without stems, because the break where the stem once was can invite decay to begin, and the cherry may not be as fresh.

Care and storage.

Cherries bruise easily, especially the lighter-colored, more delicate Rainier variety, so make sure you package them loosely in plastic bags. Either that, or you can store them in a shallow pan (make a single layer) and cover them with plastic wrap. If they were fresh and in good condition at the time of purchase, they should keep for about a week in your refrigerator when properly stored. Check them periodically, because as mentioned earlier, one spoiled fruit can “encourage” the others to spoil as well.

If you want to extend your eating pleasure through the winter months, you can stock up and freeze the cherries. Rinse and drain them well, and then spread them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet or pizza pan and pop them in the freezer. Once they’re frozen, transfer them to a heavy, freezer-safe plastic bag, where you can safely keep them for up to a year. Be sure to mark the date on the bag so that you’ll know when they’re past their prime.

Culinary cherry: the fruit in food and drink.

My personal favorite way to enjoy a cherry is fresh, straight from a tree or a supermarket bin – or in a delicious dessert. But cherries are used in a variety of different types of dishes from all over the world. Some examples:

• In Persian cuisine, sour cherries – both fresh and dried – are often paired with meat.
• Cold sour cherry soup, made with red wine, apple juice, sour cream and spices, is a popular Hungarian summer dish.
• Kirsch is a German liqueur that’s made from crushed cherry pits and the distilled juice of black cherries.
• Ratafia, a wine of French Creole origin, is made from cherries soaked in wine, brandy, or distilled alcohol, to which a sugar syrup is added for fermentation.
• The French enjoy griottes, chocolate covered cherries that feature kirsch encased with the fruit.
• Even sweet cherries can be made into non-sweet sauces and accompaniments, such as cherry salsa.

And, of course, there are the standard American favorites such as cherry pie and cherry cheesecake. It doesn’t stop there, though. A butcher named Ray Pleva, who lives in Traverse City, Michigan (yes, the same city where commercial cherry production began), patented a line of cherry-enhanced meats. The cherry-hamburger mix, which he calls Plevalean, has 65% less fat, 150 fewer calories, and 16% more protein than standard ground beef … and, its enthusiasts claim, it is moister and better tasting too.

A couple of interesting and unique cherry recipes, taken from The Unofficial National Cherry Homepage:

MAPLE CHERRY SAUCE

1/3 cup cherry juice blend

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup frozen unsweetened tart cherries, thawed and well drained

3/4 cup maple-flavored syrup

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 teaspoon grated orange peel.

Put cherry juice blend and cornstarch in a small saucepan; mix well. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Add cherries, maple-flavored syrup, walnuts and orange peel; mix well. Cook, stirring frequently, over low heat until all ingredients are hot. Serve over roast turkey, pork or ham.

CHERRY DELIGHT

1 (21-ounce) can cherry filling and topping

1 (16-ounce) container low-fat cottage cheese

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 teaspoon almond extract, or to taste

1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

Fresh mint leaves

Combine cherry filling, cottage cheese, almonds and almond extract; mix well. Fold in whipped topping. Let chill until ready to serve. Garnish with mint leaves, if desired. Serve as a salad, dessert or snack.

Why this fruit is “cherry” good for you …

Not only are cherries delicious, they pack a powerful nutritional punch. This little miracle fruit can:

• Help prevent and fight cancer Cherries are a rich source of healthy antioxidants, which help to repair damaged cells in the body. They contain queritrin, a potent anticancer agent. They also contain ellagic acid, which experts believe is one of the most useful compounds for cancer prevention. Another compound found in cherries is perillyl alcohol (POH), effective in reducing the occurrence of all types of cancer; it stops the spread of cancerous cells by depriving them of the crucial proteins they require in order to grow.
• Act as an anti-inflammatory. Cherries can help with pain relief; they contain anthocyanin and bioflavonoids, which are compounds that produce a similar effect to that of aspirin or ibuprofen. These compounds can relieve or prevent head and body aches, and even ease the symptoms of arthritis and gout.
• Improve the body’s Circadian Rhythms. A natural sleep aid, melatonin is abundant in cherries. This antioxidant helps to regulate your sleeping and waking pattern, and since it is found in small quantities in the human body, the dose in cherries can work wonders.
• Fight against premature aging. The compounds isoqueritrin and queritrin work to eliminate the byproducts of oxidative stress, and thereby slow the aging process.
• Serve as a healthy snack. Cherries are tasty and nutritious: one cup, approximately 21 cherries, contains no fat, about 90 calories, no sodium, and no cholesterol. They’re also a great source of fiber, potassium (270 mg. per serving, to be exact!) and vitamin C.

It’s difficult (not to mention expensive!) to have fresh cherries available year-round, but you can still enjoy their health benefits by drinking cherry juice concentrate – found in most grocery stores – when the fresh fruit isn’t in season.

In celebration of the cherry …

There are many small-town cherry celebrations in the United States, but the aforementioned Traverse City, Michigan’s annual National Cherry Festival takes the (cherry cheese)cake. The first Festival was held there in 1926, originating from a springtime custom called “The Blessing of the Blossoms.” Now, the eight-day event, held in early July, draws 500,000 people per year and brings in a staggering twenty-six million dollars in revenue. It boasts 150 different activities and events for people from all walks of life – parades, contests, and air shows, to name a few – and, of course, many creative ways to enjoy cherries!

No matter how you eat (or drink!) your cherries, you’ve got to admit – there’s no finer fruit than this little powerhouse. It’s compact, it’s portable, it’s healthy, it’s beautiful, and it’s tasty. What more could you want … except for maybe a longer growing season?

External Links:

• The Unofficial National Cherry Homepage - Lots of information and cherry recipes.
• National Cherry Festival - All about Traverse, Michigan's National Cherry Festival.