Cherries

About
Dating back to 300 B.C., cherries were named after the Turkish town of Cerasus. Through the centuries, cherry trees have been lauded for their delicious, succulent fruit as well as for their beauty. There are two main types of cherries: sweet and sour.

Varieties
There are two basic categories of cherry: sweet and sour. Sweet cherries are further differentiated by color: dark- and light-skinned cherries. Of the dark-skinned cherries, Bing is far and away the most common, but other red- or dark-skinned varieties include the Van, Chapman, Larian, and Black Republican.

Bing
The leading commercial sweet cherry. The fruit is almost black when fully ripe. Large, round, plump, juicy and sweet.

Lambert
Fruit is dark red, heart-shaped and a little smaller than the Bing. It also has a rich, sweet flavor.

Rainier
The Rainier, a sweet cherry with yellow or pinkish skin, is grown in limited quantities and is milder and sweeter than the Bing. The clear flesh is sweet and delicate with colorless juice.

Royal Ann: Another light-skinned variety, the Royal Ann, is often canned or made into maraschino cherries.

Sour cherries: Most commercially grown sour varieties - such as Montmorency, the best know - are canned or frozen for use as pie fillings or sauces, although you can occasionally find fresh sour cherries during the summer months at farmers' markets and roadside stands. Sour cherries are smaller than sweet cherries and are a bright scarlet.

Availability
Bing cherries are usually available from the end of May through early August, with their peak in June and July. Lamberts, Vans, and other Bing look-alikes appear in markets until mid-August.

Nutrition Information:
• Saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol free
• Low fat
• Good source of fiber
For complete nutritional information, click here.

Additional Information
• Why Eat It - Selection - Storage - Preparation
• From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia