Gardening Basics

Eat Cherries - You Don’t Need an Excuse

Posted by KC Kudra

Many of us have great memories of eating perfectly ripe cherries when we were kids, but did you know that cherries could be a great adult treat too. Cherries are becoming known as a great source of antioxidants. Cherries are excellent when it comes to fighting diseases and with a high level of beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, iron, and foliate, it is easy to see why this fruit is becoming so popular with so many people.

It is easy to incorporate cherries into your diet. They are sweet and delicious eaten out of hand, but can be used in a variety of ways. For example, dried cherries make a great addition to your oatmeal or other hot cereal; they are also terrific in baked goods.

Dried cherries are less sweet than maple syrup or honey and are very healthy. Dried cherries are also a wonderful addition to trail mix, their color, and vitamin content being a welcome addition to the mix.

You can also use cherries in savory dishes like roast beef! Try this recipe to bring out some of the flavor of your roast beef. The juice from the cherries helps to keep the meat moist and juicy and the cherries add a whole new dimension of flavor to the dish. Try making a sauce using the juice from one can of sweet dark cherries, horseradish, sauted shallots, tomato paste and a splash of port. You should simmer the sauce for about 15 minutes.

Simmer until the sauce is slightly thick and then strain it and cover it. The cherries can be lightly seared and then added with the sauce over roast beef tenderloin. You can serve this lightly warm, or for a more foreign and exotic touch, you can flamb the cherries.

Another great, if unexpected place for cherries is in a cherry chili! Add cup of chopped cherries (these should be fresh, but can be sweet or sour cherries depending on your preference) to your chili along with the beans. The cherries will add some of their flavor to the chili and add an interesting textural element to the chili as well. This is a great way to dress up the same old chili and make it exciting.

Does any one need an excuse to add some fresh cherries to your favorite jello recipe? Among the most popular verities of jello, cherry jello can be mixed with white cake to make an interesting new flavored jello cake. Alternatively, even add them on top with a layer of strawberry or cherry jello to make an interesting top layer.

An icing for your jell-o cake can be made by mixing together your cherry jell-o (with fresh cherries, of course) and whipped cream. If you can keep from eating it before it makes it to the cake, then this is a great final touch to your jell-o cake. You can also add dark cherries to a bowl of vanilla ice cream or yogurt for a delicious dessert.

Cherries are a great treat; so make sure that you indulge! There are many different ways to include them into your meal, so take some time to make sure that you do!

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