Cherries Brighten the Table and Gladden the Heart
The song says “life is just a bowl of cherries.” If that's true, you can count me in! Cherries are
one of the tastiest fruits you'll ever find, and one of the prettiest when placed in a bowl on a
table. So, fill a bowl and check out what cherries have in store for your life.
Cherries are part of the agricultural family that includes plums, apricots, and peaches. Like
their cousins, cherries have a stone pit in the center, but because of their smaller size, these
pits cause a bit more consternation. This has inspired many inventors to design mechanical
cherry pitting tools.
You'll find cherries in the stores year-round, pitted and unpitted, canned and frozen, so you
can enjoy eating them just about anytime in a number of savory and sweet recipes. Not only
are cherries delicious and very snack-worthy, many people enjoy them for their health benefits
as well. This little dynamo contains powerful antioxidants and healthy benefits for
cardiovascular wellness.
Cherries have been cultivated since prehistoric times, making it one of the oldest known fruits
in existence. Cherry trees are native to parts of Asia and Europe. However, Greek, Roman,
and Egyptian civilizations knew the fruit, as well.
At least one species of cherry trees was well established in America by the time the colonists
arrived. Today, four states contribute 90% of the world's cherry crop. Of the more than 1,000
varieties of cherry trees, only 10 are commercially produced for consumers.
