Botanical Name:
Prunis avium (Rosaceae)
General Description:
- A member of the rose family
- Known as a drupe, i.e. a fleshy, one seeded fruit
- Spherical in shape
- Approximately 2cm in diameter
- Deep red/burgundy, edible skin
- Flesh can range in colour from pink to burgundy
Choose cherries that are plump, firm and dark red in colour for the best flavour, with a fresh green stem. Avoid small, pale cherries, which are dull in colour, as they may be immature and lacking in juice and flavour. Also avoid over ripe fruit, which are soft and dull and often bruised or split.
About 100 cherry varieties are grown in Australia and New Zealand. Many of these came from England and originally from France. Lately Canadian and US varieties have been introduced. When buying cherries, there are two types to choose from, being the red/black varieties or white varieties. Red/black varieties may be used fresh or cooked, while white types are best for cooking and preserving.
More than 100 species and some 1200 cultivars of cherries are known. The cherry is indigenous in some form or other in the temperate zones of the northern hemisphere. The present commercial varieties probably originated from the
Caucasus, between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
Cherries have a fairly high chilling requirement and therefore do best in a region which has cold winters. Cherries require good drainage.
Cherry trees are quite large. Genetic dwarf varieties have been developed, not only to save space but to enable netting of trees to prevent fruit spoilage by birds.
Records of cherries are found in the very earliest historical writings and almost all our present day varieties are chance seedling selections.
Picking:
There is a correct technique for picking the fruit to protect the trees. This is because cherries often form around a spur, and this spur forms into next year’s cherries. If the spur is damaged, then no cherries will grow in tha spot during the next cherry season.
Brook
Vega
Chelan
Varieties:
-
Burgsdoff
- Eagle Seedling
- Rons Seedling
- Samba
- Brook
- Bing
- Chelan
- Stella
- Van
- Vega
- Index
- Sunburst
- Lapins
Growing Areas:
- New South Wales - Bathurst, Camden, Coffs Harbour, Dareton, Gosford, Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, Orange, Tumut, Windsor, Young
- Victoria - Eastern Metropolitan Area, Mornington Peninsula, Wandin Valley, Wangaratta Area
- Tasmania - Huon, Spreyton, Tamar Valley
- South Australia - Adelaide Hills, South East
- Western Australia - Dwellingup, Manjimup, Perth Hills
- New Zealand
Nutritional Value:
Cherries contain anthocyanins, the red pigment in berries. Cherry anthocyanins have been shown to reduce pain and inflammation in rats. Anthocyanins are also potent antioxidants under active research for a variety of potential health benefits. According to a study funded by the Cherry Marketing Institute presented at the Experimental Biology 2008 meeting in San Diego, rats that received whole tart cherry powder mixed into a high-fat diet did not gain as much weight or build up as much body fat, and their blood showed much lower levels of inflammation indicators that have been linked to heart disease and diabetes. In addition, they had significantly lower blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides than the other rats.
Uses:
Cherries can be added to salads, used in gateau, on pavlovas as a garnish, marinated in port and served as a delicious desert with cream or ice cream, added to fruit salads or enjoyed fresh as festive fruit of the season.
Cherries can also be frozen - Place 500g of washed, dried, stemmed cherries in a clean freezer bag, remove air, seal, label and freeze.
Storage/Handling:
0°C at 90 - 100% relative humidity. Keep covered and away from refrigeration fans.
Interesting Facts and Myths:
The ancient Roman writer, Pliny, claimed that the Roman General Lucullus was so fond of cherries that he committed suicide when he realized he was running out of them.
The earliest known mention of cherries is in Theophrastus (237-272 B.C.) ‘History of Plants’, in which he indicated that cherries had been cultivated for hundreds of years in Greece.
