Thanks Cherry Much

Numerous cherry reports have appeared in editions of the Grower News to date but we appear to know little about the products history. Having gained experience from three seasons to date, read on to find out what we have discovered and learned so far.

Cherries are known to have originated in Turkey around 300BC, and are thought to have been named after the town of "Kerasus" where the first are believed to have been grown. Kerasos a Greek word for horn led other EUropean countries to derive their own names for the fruit, with the French calling theirs Cerise and the Spanish naming theirs Cereza. There is a claim however that the word cherry is a corruption of the Sanskrit word "Karaza" meaning "What juice, what flavour."

According to legend, birds leaving their orient dropped cherry pits all along their flight towads the west answering why CHerries were lated discovered in Greece and Rome where they were a favourite of the renowned Roman General Lucullus. He was said to insist on a frequent supply for his table. It is thought that Lucullus had a strong desire for new tates and flavours and travelled long distances to find them. After discovering the Cherry he is believed to have exported it across borders, and Cherry supply began to grow across Europe becoming a regular part of the menu in many countries through the Middle Ages. The first cherry was brought to America by boat by early setllers in the 1600's and modern day production began there in the 1800's.

Since their discovery many stories and customs have developed relating to cherries. in Catholic Switzerland people believed that Christ put the stem on cherries meaning that he oversaw evey detail on earth. In Japan the cherry symbolised war and destiny, where it was found as a decoration on samauri swords, and in Japan also the cherry is said to signify happiness as the bride and groom are invited to drink a drink produced from Cherry blossoms.

Once planted it takes between 4 and 6 years for a cherry tree to reach its full production. When they reach this stage the trees must be carefully trated with regular pruning and fertilisation. The trees must be regularly watered and monitored for insects to prevent diseases, weed growth must be controlled and trees replanted to maintain healthy orchards. To ensure pollination beehives are placed in the orchards after the first blossoms open. When the fruit is ready for harvesting it is picked into buckets and carefully transferred to large bins, which are then transported to packhouses. The fruit is cooled immediately in special hydro cooling machines and then packaged and ready to be shipped out to buyers.

As the requirement for cherry has grown it is now produced all over the world and new varieties are being researched and developed.Unfortunately however the cherry is yet to be an all round fruit with its availability fitting into two main seasons. The summer season from the Northern Hemisphere countries runs from April until September. In this period fruit becomes abailable throughout Europe with the main producers being Spain, Turkey and Italy. American and British Colombian fruit comes a little later and finishes the season in the first few weeks of September. Southern Hemisphere fruit forms the Winter Cherry season starting in November and finishing in February. In this period fruit is available from Argentina, South Africa, Chile, Australia and New Zealand.

Cherries can be split into sweet and sour varieties with the majority being red to deep red in colour with the exception of Rainier which are Yellow with a red blush. Almost all cherries are round or heart shaped in appearance. Sweet cherries can be enjoyed fresh on their own or as part of a dessert, with a few of the many varieties including Bourlats, Navalinda, and California's in the Summer and Bing, Sweetheart and Lapins in the Winter. Sour cherries such as Morello varieties are often used for cooking and found in pies and preserves.

The nutritional values are fairly consistent amongst the varieties and provide many health and medicinal benefits, which have been recognised throughout history.

Cherry stems in the Middle Ages were recognised for their diuretic properties and were widely used, colds and flu were cured by an infusion made from cherry bark and the juices from the fruit were thought to be a remedy for gout, aches and athritis. Today cherries are widely used as a detoxifier and recent esearch has proved that they contain natural anti-inflammatory agents. More recent studies are linking their benefits towards the prevention of cancer and heart disease.

Approaching our fourth cherry season and second winter cherry season we now do so with a greated understanding of the history and production of the fruit. Reports from our growers around the globe appear to be good and with that in mind we look forward to a successful season ahead.

As researchers continue to discover more nutritional health benefits and develop later varieties to extend the two existing cherry seasons, I am sure that we are not far from being able to enjoy another of life's affordable luxuries whenever desired all year round. Until that time however, it is probably best that we make the most of cherries whenever we possibly can.

Autumn 2003