Cherries
drupe
Cherries
small soft round fruit, red or black when ripe, containing a stone. native in Europe and grow off of a tree. Varieties:Black, Black Stone Cherry, Chelan, Choke Cherry, Maraschino, Morello, Napoleon, North Star, Spanish Cherry, and Tieton
Nutrients
Cherries are among the top "superfoods" for antioxidants and joint health due to their high level of anthocyanins. They contain 10.8mg of vitamen c, beta carotene and provides low amounts of vitamin K, vitamin B6 and vitamin A.
Cooking methods
-fresh off the tree-baked into pies-topping for ice cream
History
The cherry is one of the worlds oldest cultivated fruits, along with its cousin, the apricot. Cultivation dates back to 300 B.C.. The common cherry tree, Prunus avium, is native to the temperate areas of eastern Europe and western Asia and is part of the Rose family. Its name comes originally from the Greek, and in Latin means of or for the birds, due to the birds obvious love of the fruit. The English word cherry originates from the Assyrian karsu and Greek kerasos. The tree was beloved by the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans both for its beautiful flowers and its versatile fruit. Although a different species of cherry was already strongly established in America by the time the first colonists arrived, the new settlers brought along their favorite European variety and eventually cross-bred the two. Today, 90 percent of the commercial cherry crop is grown in the U.S., mostly in Michigan, California, Oregon and Washington. The most popular variety is the Bing cherry, which was developed by Seth Luelling od Milwaukie, Oregon in 1875. It was allegedly named for his Manchurian foreman. There are now thousands of varieties of cherries and most are still picked by hand.