Three things you may not know about cherries
• Cherries come in two categories: sweet cherries, which can be eaten fresh right off the tree, and sour cherries, which are usually cooked
• The darker the cherry, the sweeter the flavour
• The cherry is considered lucky, and is an alternative to the apple as the fruit of paradise
Three ways to try cherries right now
• In preserves on toasted English muffins
• With chopped almonds in a chutney or relish
• In kirsch, the French liqueur made from distilled cherries, poured over ice cream and chocolate
Three places to travel to get the pick of the crop
• B.C.'s Okanagan, Similkameen and Kootenay valleys, which together produce about 60 percent of Canada's cherry crop
Three varieties to tempt your taste buds
• Rainier, Sweetheart, Royal Ann
One tip you can't live without
• Since the pit of a cherry (which can't be eaten!) has a taste similar to almonds, cherries have a natural affinity with the nut. Add a drop of almond extract to cherry dishes to enhance the cherry flavour
One thing to remember at the grocery store
• Choose cherries with the stems attached. Once the stems are removed, cherries spoil quickly; keep them for up to three days loosely wrapped in paper towel in the refrigerator.
Read more in Recipes and Country Pantry
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