Recipe

Cheerful Cherries Are July Pick of the Month

Cherries are ripe in Oregon and they’re delicious! Along with their flavor, they pack a good amount of vitamin C and antioxidants.

Eat them right off the tree, cook them into a sauce, or bake them into a pie. Pick some up today!

What’s so great about cherries?

  • They’re a good source of vitamin C, potassium and other nutrients with anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
  • They’re good for your heart health and can help with gout and arthritis.
  • Cherries are one of the few fruits with melatonin, an antioxidant linked to sleep regulation.

What’s the best way to eat cherries?

  • Add cherries to both fruit and vegetable salads.
  • Make into a sweet or savory sauce to enhance a variety of foods – everything from sundaes to salmon.

Selection & Preparation

  1. Selection: Select firm, bright cherries. Look for green stems that are still attached. Avoid soft, shriveled or blemished cherries.
  2. Storage: Refrigerate cherries in a shallow container to allow air circulation and to avoid crushing. For highest quality, fresh cherries should be used within one to two days.
  3. Preparation: Wash cherries with cool water just before using. Pit cherries with a cherry pitter or your hands.
  4. Cooking: No cooking required! Enjoy cherries as-is or preserve them for future use – cherries may be frozen, canned or dried.

Red Fruit Salad

Recipe from Cheryl Teschner, RD, LD, dietitian at Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sweet cherries, pitted
  • 1 cup raspberries
  • 2 cups strawberries, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh mint, minced

Directions

  1. Wash all fresh produce before cutting. Cut cherries in half to remove pit.
  2. Place all ingredients together in a bowl, stir gently to combine.
  3. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Makes four servings.

Nutritional information per serving:

  • Calories: 60
  • Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 15 g
  • Protein: 1 g
  • Fiber: 3 g