I cannot tell a lie: My husband and I love cherry pie. So much so, that before the ink was dry on the mortgage for what would become our family home, we planted a cherry tree about 15 feet from our kitchen window. That was 20 years ago.
Ya gotta try the cherry pie!
Photo Credit: Dan Hemmelgarn
Our chosen location proved perfect for keeping careful watch over the cherry ripening process. Each June, at the first sign of the ruby-red gems, we host an annual cherry harvesting competition. It’s us vs. the local birds. Most years, we’re content to call it a tie. Our feathered friends seem satisfied, singing extra sweetly in nearby branches, and I whistle a happy tune knowing I’ve picked enough fruit to fill a few delectable pies.
In celebration of our first president, let me give you three good reasons to plant a cherry tree in your back yard: taste, cost and health.
I won’t wax poetically about the mouthwatering flavor of a bubbling-hot, fresh cherry pie. But I will tell you that growing my own fruit saves me a bundle at the farmers’ market – when (and if) I can even find fresh-picked cherries.
Plus, there’s nothing like harvesting your own great-tasting medicine: Anthocyanins, the natural pigments responsible for the cherry’s glorious red color, have a potent anti-inflammatory effect. While not a cure for arthritis, these compounds reduce tissue inflammation and hold promise in alleviating arthritis pain. Researchers at Michigan State University discovered that anthocyanins can also help lower blood sugar levels in diabetics. And, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research, other beneficial compounds in cherries, including perillyl alcohol, appear to inhibit tumor growth.
Enjoy your rich, ripe cherry harvest to its fullest potential using the following tips:
Pitting Cherries
You can buy special equipment to pit cherries, but it’s not necessary. I remove cherry pits just prior to cooking by simply squeezing the pits out with my fingers when my frozen fruit is partially thawed. Many experienced cooks also swear by the metal bobby pin method: Simply insert the looped end of the hairpin into the stem end of the cherry, give it a little twist, and lift out the pit. Instead of the hairpin, you can also use a paper clip that’s been bent in half and pulled open to reveal two hook-like ends – one small and one large.
Freezing Cherries
Cherries ripen fast and furiously. After your first fresh pie is in the oven, can or freeze the extra fruit for enjoyment throughout the year. Rinse your leftover cherries in a colander and remove the stems. You can either pit the fruit prior to or after freezing. (Because I’m normally in a hurry, I usually freeze my cherries whole – pits intact.) Pits-in or pits-out, store cherries in food-grade freezer containers or storage bags.
They say life’s a bowl of cherries, so dig in – literally. Plant a tree, pick some fruit, and enjoy the delicious, nutritious rewards!
