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Cherry jubilee By Andrew Chase

Enjoy the nutritional benefits of this tasty fruit

The May 2005 issue of our sister publication, Canadian Home and Country Magazine, includes great tips and tasty recipes for this antioxidant-rich treat. Cherries do not ripen after picking, so buy them ready-to-eat with greens stems that signal freshness.

In June, Canada’s cherry season begins. First come sweet red and black cherries. Then, in July, sweet white cherries (actually shades of pink, orange and yellow) and sour cherries (smaller and light red) show up on grocery store shelves.

Cherry facts
• Cherries don’t ripen after picking. Choose ones that are plump and firm with pliant greenish stems. A good rule of thumb: the darker, the sweeter. Refrigerate in an uncovered, paper towel–lined shallow container.
• British Columbia’s harvest of more than 11 million kilograms (in the year 2000) is king, comprising more than 60 per cent of Canada’s total crop.
• Many retailers routinely label all sweet cherries Bing, but Bing cherries are only one of scores of sweet varieties. In humid Ontario, where Bings tend to split, the most popular variety to grow is Hedelfingen, followed by Vandelay, Tehranivee, Viscount and Lapin. In B.C., the most commonly grown varieties are Lapin, Lambert, Van, Bing, Stella, Sweetheart and Sam.
• White varieties, most of which are grown to make maraschino cherries, include Napoleon (also called Royal Ann) and Ranier in Ontario, and Ranier in B.C.
• With the exception of Van cherries, varieties beginning with the letter V or ending with “vee” were developed for Ontario growing conditions at what is now the University of Guelph Research Station in Vineland, Ont.
• Used mainly for baking and preserving, sour cherries (especially Montmorency) account for about 15 per cent of the national harvest, most of which is grown in Ontario.
• Fresh sour cherries are usually available only at fruit markets or at pick-your-own farms. But five-kilogram (11 lb) pails of pitted sour cherries (fresh in season; frozen year-round), with or without added sugar, are available at most major grocery stores; it’s best to order these cherries in advance.
• Sweet cherries are a source of vitamin C, thiamine, magnesium and potassium; sour cherries are a source of vitamin C, folacin, magnesium and potassium and a good source of vitamin A. Both are sodium-free.
• Fresh cherries are more nutritious than cooked -- besides, it’s fun to sit outdoors and spit the pits.
• Cherries have anti-inflammatory properties. First Nations peoples used wild cherries to treat fever, inflammation and sore throats. In folk medicine, cherries and their juice are used to prevent gout.