Carefree summer days are upon us, and the word is out; cherries are officially in season! Snacking on cherries until your tummy tells you you’re full is almost like a right of summer. They’re delicious, convenient and healthy – you may even be tempted to share. These nature’s candy have a lot to offer, but just like summer, are only available for a limited time - for 4 to 5 weeks from June-August.
We all know a little bit about cherries – like how delicious they are and how they are the perfect summer snack – but there might be a few more fun facts about these mouth-watering goodies that you didn’t know.
Read on to find out more!
1. They’ve been around for a LONG time : Did you know that Cherries have been around since prehistoric times? In fact, piles of cherry pits have been found in Paleolithic cave dwellings.
2. Keep Chilled : To maintain optimum flavour and texture, keep cherries chilled. BC Tree Fruits chills them right after they’re picked and they stay that way until they reach your local store. Take that chilling one step further and freeze some cherries to use instead of ice cubes in the beverage of your choice.
3. Locally Grown : If you’re from British Columbia, nothing tastes as sweet as fruit grown in your Canadian backyard. Since 1936, BC Tree Fruits has helped to promote not just British Columbia’s amazing apples, but also pears, apricots, peaches, prune plums, nectarines and cherries! The idea of the orchard came to Okanagan Valley in 1862, and since then Okanagan fruit has been continually improving and growing throughout the region. The various climates within the area provide ideal growing conditions for their delicious and pristine fruits.
4. Save on Lipstick : Ever find yourself looking in the mirror after eating a handful of cherries and noticing your lips have turned a bright red colour? Ditch the lipstick this summer and use nature’s own instead!
5. Stains Be Gone : To remove cherry stains from your hands, just rub with a wedge of fresh lemon.
6. Trust The Experts : Known for their three packing facilities and six receiving facilities, BC Tree Fruits has the expertise! The BC Tree Fruits leaf guarantees flavourful food grown close to home using natural and sustainable methods — this is about as local and fresh as it gets. BC Tree Fruits’ motto, ‘Look for Our Leaf,’ #lookforourleaf is the easiest way to make sure you are buying Canadian local fresh fruit that is not only tasty but also great in quality.
7. Teamwork Makes The Dreamwork : BC Tree Fruits has 430 plus local grower families who work together in the cooperative as part of a larger community. Each grower nurtures their orchards to create the best possible fruit and is responsible for the care, picking of and transporting of nature’s candy to BC Tree Fruits.
8. Recipes : Besides eating them straight out of the bag, BC Tree Fruit Cherries are delicious baked into a variety of recipes. From the classic cherry pie to cherry chocolate bark, or cherry couscous salad, get your creativity flowing in the kitchen this summer.
9. Plump It Up : Choose plump, bright-coloured fruits and avoid soft cherries for the most delectable tasting treat!
10. Storage : Store refrigerated and unwashed for several days for best results.
Did you learn anything new? I bet we got you craving some mouth-watering cherries now!
Since cherries are only in season for a short amount of time, head over to your local grocery store today to pick up your BC Tree Fruits cherries! Be sure to look for their leaf to make sure you are getting the best of the best.
Although this post has been generously sponsored by BC Tree Fruits, the opinions and language are my own, and in no way do they reflect BC Tree Fruits.
