What grade-school child didn’t grow up hearing the legend of George Washington chopping down a cherry tree? It’s a bit of Americana that pops up every year around the date of the first president’s birthday, Feb. 22.
One of the longest-enduring myths about our first president, the story goes that 6-year-old George received a hatchet as a gift, then tried it out by hacking into his father’s cherry tree. When confronted with the evidence, young George admitted he couldn’t tell a lie and confessed.
Maybe George was on to something more than the merits of honesty. The fruit of cherry trees has been enjoyed since their introduction into America in the early 1600s. Their burst of flavor in the mouth can be either sugary-sweet or tart enough to make your lips pucker.
Tart cherries, also called sour cherries, are the main type of cherry used in commercial pie fillings and cherry desserts. The majority of tart cherries grown in the United States are Montmorency – a bright red fruit that keeps its color whether dried, frozen or juiced.
Bing is the most common variety of a sweet cherry. Its color is quite dark, sometimes even appearing purple. Royal Ann is another sweet cherry that is often made into maraschino cherries, those neon red cherries you find bottled in grocery stores.
The difference is important to know because medical research is showing tart cherries can be as good for you as they are good to eat. Studies show that eating tart cherries is beneficial to people with gout, diabetes, muscle pain and insomnia.
Robert Laugherty, physician assistant in the rheumatology practice of Dr. Richard Brackett in Chattanooga, says he hears cheers for cherries quite often from patients with gout. He believes there is “more than a wisp of truth” to their benefits because cherries are among fruits high in antioxidants.
“From a controlled clinical trial perspective, there is not much to go on, but I can tell you that I have a lot of gout patients who swear by cherries for prevention of gout flare-ups,” Laugherty says. “There is a black cherry juice you can buy or you can buy cherries in capsule form,” which contain a concentrated form of the fruit.
“Occasionally I have patients who buy cherries in season and eat them,” he adds.
Gout is caused by a buildup of uric-acid crystals in joints. Tart cherry juice is not only low in the compounds that elevate uric acid levels, but seems to directly work to lower uric acid.
Researchers at Boston University found that eating tart cherries daily could lower a person’s number of gout flare-ups by 35 percent. Studies at Arizona State University in 2011 found that 70 percent of adult subjects who drank one 8-ounce serving of 100 percent tart cherry juice each day for four weeks showed significantly lower amounts of uric acid in their blood.
Cherries also are a rich source of anthocyanins – a big word for the plant pigment found in red and purple fruits. Anthocyanins are bursting with antioxidants known to carry anti-inflammatory compounds, thus the reason for cherries’ arthritis and muscle pain prevention.
Maryanne Davidson, diabetes educator and dietitian at Erlanger hospital, says tart cherries are also beneficial for people with diabetes. Diabetes mellitus patients can consume a half-cup serving as a fruit portion, she says.
“Tart cherry juice increases sleep in older adults,” says Pam Kelle, a Chattanooga nutritionist. “It’s a natural source of melatonin. For better sleep, I recommend four ounces of tart cherry juice at night as a nightcap. But it must be tart cherry, and you are looking for something that is 100 percent juice, no added sugar.”
Kelle suggests Northland and Lakewood juice brands. Trader Joe’s Tart Cherry Juice is made solely of tart Montmorency cherries; Walmart sells R.W. Knudson brand of Just Tart Cherry Fruit Juice.
But the average consumer will get their fill of cherries in pies, cobblers and other desserts. Cherry Dump Cake is one of the easy first recipes every bride-to-be receives. Following are several ways to use cherries – but remember the medicinal benefits lose potency when diluted with ingredients such as sugar, flour, butter and shortening.
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.
The recipes
Sour Cherry Lemonade For syrup: 1 pound fresh tart cherries, or 3 cups frozen cherries, thawed and drained 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup water 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice For lemonade: Ice cubes 4 cups club soda 1-1/2 cups fresh lemon juice from 8 lemons 1/2 cup superfine sugar To make syrup, simmer cherries, granulated sugar, water and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat until cherries are broken down, juicy and liquid is syrupy, about 30 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup cherry syrup. Strain cherries and syrup through a fine sieve; discard solids. Let cool completely. To make lemonade, fill a large pitcher with ice. Add club soda, lemon juice, sugar and 1/2 cup cherry syrup; stir to combine. Garnish with fresh cherries. Divide lemonade among glasses. Makes 6 servings. – Martha Stewart Cherry Dump Cake 1 21-ounce can cherry pie filling 1 16-ounce can crushed pineapple 1 box white cake mix 1 1/2 sticks butter Heat oven to 350 degrees. Dump cherry pie filling and crushed pineapple into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Stir together. Sprinkle cake mix over top of the fruit. Slice the butter into 12 tablespoons and distribute evenly over the surface of the cake mix. Bake until top is brown and bubbly, about 45 minutes to one hour. Serve with whipped cream or top with vanilla ice cream. Serves 12. – Ree Drummond, “Pioneer Woman” Homemade Cherry Pie Filling: 1 1/4 cups sugar 1/3 cup cornstarch 1 cup cherry juice blend 4 cups fresh tart cherries, pitted, or frozen pitted tart cherries, thawed 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon almond extract Pastry: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup shortening 5 to 7 tablespoons cold water In a large saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; gradually stir in cherry juice until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Add the cherries, cinnamon, nutmeg and extract; stir and set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in shortening until crumbly. Gradually add cold water, tossing with a fork until a ball forms. Divide pastry in half so that one ball is slightly larger than the other. On a lightly floured surface, roll out larger ball to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Transfer pastry to pie plate; trim even with edge of plate. Add filling. Roll out remaining pastry; make a lattice crust. Trim, seal and flute edges. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees; bake 45-50 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Yields eight servings. – TasteofHome.com Cherry Banana Smoothie 1 1/4 cups sliced bananas 1 cup frozen cherries 3/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt 4 teaspoons honey 2 teaspoons minced ginger 4 ice cubes Combine the bananas, cherries, yogurt, honey, ginger and ice cubes in a blend. Puree until smooth. Yields two servings. – Food Network Cherries Jubilee 1 pint vanilla ice cream 1 pound fresh, ripe, sweet cherries, such as Bing 1/2 cup sugar 1 lemon 1/3 cup golden rum Evenly scoop ice cream into four dishes or decorative glasses and put in freezer until ready to serve. Wash and pit cherries. Put cherries and sugar in large skillet. Peel 2 wide strips of zest from the lemon and add to cherries. Squeeze juice of half the lemon over the top. Stir to combine evenly. Cover and cook cherries over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. Uncover and cook over medium-high until cherries get juicy (about 5 minutes more.) If cooking over a gas flame, pull pan off heat and add the rum. Ignite the alcohol with a long match, or a match held by tongs. Swirl the pan slightly until the flames subside (about 30 seconds.) If cooking over an electric stove, put rum in a small saucepan. Warm it over medium-low heat and carefully light it with a long match or one held with tongs. Pour the lit rum over the cherries, swirl pan lightly until flames subside (about 30 seconds) Ladle cherries and juices over ice cream scoops and serve immediately. – Food Network Cherry Cobbler Filling: 6 cups tart red cherries, pitted 1 1/4 cups sugar 1/4 cup water 4 teaspoons cornstarch Topping: 1 cup flour 1/4 cup sugar 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 3 tablespoons butter 1 egg, beaten 3 tablespoons milk Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a saucepan, combine filling ingredients and cook, stirring until bubbling and thickened. Pour into an 8-inch square baking dish. Stir together flour, sugars, baking powder and cinnamon. Cut in butter until it is crumbly. Mix together egg and milk. Add to flour mixture and stir with a fork just until combined. Drop topping by tablespoonfuls onto filling. Bake for 25 minutes until browned and bubbly. Makes six servings. – Emeril Lagasse