National Cherry Month!
Shall we thank George Washington for this one? We all know the story (some “experts” say it’s just a myth) about him chopping down his father’s cherry tree and then honestly admitting to it. I choose to believe this story—our world needs more heroes, and we don’t have enough good press anymore, so when I hear an inspiring bit of news, I’m clinging to it.
But at any rate, the birth month of our nation’s first President has since been associated with cherries and folks traditionally like to celebrate President’s Day with a cherry pie.
Even though they are a summer fruit, they are available year ‘round. Whether fresh, frozen, canned, or dried, they’re always a hit. When my children were little, an orchardist friend would rent a few of his Bing or Queen Anne trees—but you had to pick the entire tree.
For $45 we’d haul home probably 200 pounds of cherries. We’d bottle them (with the pits in), juice them, dry them, and bake with them. The house always smelled amazing when we were putting up our cherries—you could even smell this delectable aroma up and down the street. And of course, in-between all this, we’d be eating them out-of-hand.
We also made sure we froze plenty (pitted)—to use in smoothies and milkshakes later in the year. And nothing beats a handful of frozen cherries on a blistering hot summer day!
And to top it off, scientific research says cherries are not only good for you, but they’re also on track to be the #1 homegrown “Super Fruit.” Evidence shows tart cherries have among the highest levels of disease-fighting antioxidants, when compared to other fruits. They also contain other important nutrients such as beta carotene (19 times more than blueberries or strawberries) vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, iron, fiber and folate.
Cherries are linked to many important health benefits as well—from easing arthritis and gout pain, to reducing risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. Cherries also contain melatonin, which has been found to help regulate the body’s natural sleep patterns, aid with jet lag, prevent memory loss and delay the aging process.
And University of Michigan research found that a cherry-enriched diet lowered total weight, body fat (especially “belly” fat), inflammation and cholesterol—all risk factors associated with heart disease.
Sold? Then let’s look at one of my family’s favorite, drool-worthy, cherry recipes. It’s an easy, 8-ingredient crisp. Make it with frozen cherries now, and then come summer, when cherries are in season (typically May to August), make it with delectable fresh cherries.
4 cups fresh or frozen sweet cherries (measure after pitting)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour or white wheat flour
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup pure maple syrup or 1/2 cup date paste
3/4 cup raw nuts (pecans, almonds or walnuts), roughly chopped
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup almond milk (or other dairy alternative milk)
1/2 teaspoon almond OR vanilla extract
Directions:
Add Recipe to Cook'n
But at any rate, the birth month of our nation’s first President has since been associated with cherries and folks traditionally like to celebrate President’s Day with a cherry pie.
Even though they are a summer fruit, they are available year ‘round. Whether fresh, frozen, canned, or dried, they’re always a hit. When my children were little, an orchardist friend would rent a few of his Bing or Queen Anne trees—but you had to pick the entire tree.
For $45 we’d haul home probably 200 pounds of cherries. We’d bottle them (with the pits in), juice them, dry them, and bake with them. The house always smelled amazing when we were putting up our cherries—you could even smell this delectable aroma up and down the street. And of course, in-between all this, we’d be eating them out-of-hand.
We also made sure we froze plenty (pitted)—to use in smoothies and milkshakes later in the year. And nothing beats a handful of frozen cherries on a blistering hot summer day!
And to top it off, scientific research says cherries are not only good for you, but they’re also on track to be the #1 homegrown “Super Fruit.” Evidence shows tart cherries have among the highest levels of disease-fighting antioxidants, when compared to other fruits. They also contain other important nutrients such as beta carotene (19 times more than blueberries or strawberries) vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, iron, fiber and folate.
Cherries are linked to many important health benefits as well—from easing arthritis and gout pain, to reducing risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. Cherries also contain melatonin, which has been found to help regulate the body’s natural sleep patterns, aid with jet lag, prevent memory loss and delay the aging process.
And University of Michigan research found that a cherry-enriched diet lowered total weight, body fat (especially “belly” fat), inflammation and cholesterol—all risk factors associated with heart disease.
Sold? Then let’s look at one of my family’s favorite, drool-worthy, cherry recipes. It’s an easy, 8-ingredient crisp. Make it with frozen cherries now, and then come summer, when cherries are in season (typically May to August), make it with delectable fresh cherries.
Cherry Crisp
Ingredients:
4 cups fresh or frozen sweet cherries (measure after pitting)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour or white wheat flour
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup pure maple syrup or 1/2 cup date paste
3/4 cup raw nuts (pecans, almonds or walnuts), roughly chopped
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup almond milk (or other dairy alternative milk)
1/2 teaspoon almond OR vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray an 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Pit cherries (if using fresh) and then measure out 3 cups. Place cherries in baking dish.
3. Add flour, oat, maple syrup or other sweetener, nuts, cinnamon, and salt to a medium mixing bowl, stirring until combined.
4. Add milk mixed with vanilla; blend mixture until it's moist, crumbly, and very well combined.
5. Sprinkle topping evenly onto the cherries. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before diving in, preferably with ice cream!
NOTES:
Blueberries are a delicious substitution. This stores well in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days. When reheating, the oven (at 350 degrees) is preferred over the microwave, as the topping will keep its crispiness this way. You can also freeze this dessert in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator prior to reheating. Substituting almond for the whole wheat flour will make this gluten free.
IMPORTANT: If using frozen cherries, allow to thaw bit and drain well to avoid ending up with a soupy fruit base.
2. Pit cherries (if using fresh) and then measure out 3 cups. Place cherries in baking dish.
3. Add flour, oat, maple syrup or other sweetener, nuts, cinnamon, and salt to a medium mixing bowl, stirring until combined.
4. Add milk mixed with vanilla; blend mixture until it's moist, crumbly, and very well combined.
5. Sprinkle topping evenly onto the cherries. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before diving in, preferably with ice cream!
NOTES:
Blueberries are a delicious substitution. This stores well in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days. When reheating, the oven (at 350 degrees) is preferred over the microwave, as the topping will keep its crispiness this way. You can also freeze this dessert in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator prior to reheating. Substituting almond for the whole wheat flour will make this gluten free.
IMPORTANT: If using frozen cherries, allow to thaw bit and drain well to avoid ending up with a soupy fruit base.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Sources:
www.apples4theteacher.com
www.doorcountytrolley.com
www.visual.ly
www.hummusapien.com
Alice Osborne
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
