Cherries

Between November and January, Australian orchards are overflowing with deliciously ripe cherries.

All the cherries you see in stores now are derived from just two species, the wild cherry and the sour cherry. The former is the ancestor of all of today’s eating cherries, while sour cherry varieties are used widely in cooking. Cherries are picked when they’re ripe, sweet and ready to eat.

Nutrition notes

Cherries are rich in fibre and contain antioxidant pigments and vitamins C and E; all of these may help to prevent conditions such as cancers and heart disease. Even though they’re deliciously sweet, cherries provide just 60 calories per 100g.

Because they contain potent inflammatory compounds, cherries have been used by natural therapists for centuries to treat conditions such as gout and arthritis.

Buying

Choose plump, shiny-skinned, taut fruits that are blemish free. Select fruits that have a fresh-looking stem as they’ll keep for longer.

Storing

You can store fresh cherries in the fridge for around a week, but they go past their best quickly at room temperature. Leave the stems on as this helps to keep the fruits fresher. Cherries are easily bruised so store them in a shallow bowl or in a covered plastic container. This helps disperse their weight more evenly and prevents bruising.

If you have more cherries than you need right now, freeze some on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Once frozen, transfer the fruits to a plastic bag until you’re ready to use them.

To dry cherries, place halved, pitted cherries in a single layer on a baking tray. Bake at 140°C degrees for around 8 hours or until the cherries look leathery. Allow to cool then store in an airtight container.

Preparing

Most cherries just need a rinse before you eat them. If you want to prepare fruits for cooking or add them to dishes, you might want to invest in a hand-operated or countertop cherry pitter, which makes it quick and easy to remove the stones.

Enjoying

• Add fresh cherries to cereals, muesli, porridge. Also add to scone, cake, pancake and muffin recipes.
• Throw cherries into couscous and rice salads.
• Use fresh and dried chopped cherries in stuffings.
• Add fresh cherries to your favourite green salad leaves, top with crumbled, low-fat feta cheese and drizzle with a low-fat vinaigrette for a simple seasonal salad.
• Make delicious summer sweet treats by dipping fresh cherries into good quality melted dark chocolate. Place on a tray lined with baking paper and allow to set in the fridge.
• Make a zingy cherry salsa by stirring together 1 chopped fresh mango with 1 cup halved, pitted cherries, 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint, lime juice, a pinch of chilli flakes and salt and pepper to taste (serves 4)
• Give baked apples a summer twist; stuff 4 cored apples with a mixture of half a cup of dried cherries, 2tbsp port wine, half a tsp cinnamon, 2tsp honey, a small handful of chopped macadamia nuts and 1 cup fresh bread crumbs. Top with a knob of margarine on each apple and bake in a moderate oven for around 40 minutes or until the apples are soft (serves 4).
• Make a sticky chilli-cherry sauce for chicken or firm white fish by sautéing 1 chopped onion with 4 cloves of garlic in a little olive oil. Add 1 cup each of chopped red capsicum, chopped fresh coriander and pitted, quartered fresh cherries. Stir in the juice of a fresh lime with 1 tsp cumin and some chopped jalapeno peppers then cover and cook for 30 minutes. Add cooked meat or fish and a squeeze of honey with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer with the lid off for 30 more minutes then sprinkle with coriander before serving. To make it vegetarian, use tofu or vegetarian fillets instead of meat, but add this towards the end of cooking to ensure it keeps its shape.