Life is just a bowl of cherries! So, make way for National Cherry Day, the time when this juicy little fruit is the star of the show.
- Sweet cherries are believed to have originated in Asia Minor and were likely transported to Europe naturally with the help of migrating birds.
- The first to cultivate cherries were the Greeks, and the Romans continued on to expand the production of this healthy and tasty fruit.
- The cherry was brought to England by Henry VIII after tasting them in Belgium.
- Cherries were first brought to North America in the settlement of Brooklyn New York, around 1639.
- There is no factual evidence that our first president, 6-year-old George Washington, chopped down any of these fruit-bearing trees. The myth was created by Parson Mason Weems, who wrote the story in a biography of President Washington to illustrate his integrity and honesty.
- Cherries belong to the rose family.
- The average cherry tree has 7,000 cherries.
- A cherry tree can be harvested in seven seconds using a tree-shaker.
- Japanese cherry blossom trees don’t produce fruit.
- Sweet cherries are mostly grown in California, Washington and Oregon, and tart cherries are mostly grown in Michigan and Wisconsin.
- Door County, Wisconsin, is nicknamed Cherryland USA. During the 1950s, it produced 95 percent of the nation’s tart cherries, with more than 1 million cherry trees.
- Traverse City, Michigan, is known as the Cherry Capital of the World.
- Traverse City has been celebrating the annual National Cherry Festival since 1925.
- Eau Claire, Michigan-known as the Cherry Pit Spitting Capital of the World-hosts the International Cherry Pit-Spitting Championship every year. The world record for cherry stone spitting is a whopping 93 feet 6.5 inches.
- The English word “cherry” derives from the French word “cherise.” English speakers, hearing the word for the first time, misunderstood how it was spelled and assumed it was the plural for the fruit — which is why the terms “cherry” and “cherries” don’t align in the two languages even to this day.
- More than 1,000 varieties of cherries grow in the wild, but fewer than 10 are grown commercially to produce fruit.
- The average cherry pie contains more than 250 cherries.
- On average, there are about 44 cherries in one pound.
- In an average crop year, a sweet cherry tree will produce 800 cherries.
- While they have long been a popular dessert fruit, cherries were used for their medicinal purposes in the 15th and 16th centuries.
- In ancient Greek mythology, cherry trees contained the “elixir” that gave gods their immortality
- Ancient Chinese lore said the magical Phoenix slept on a bed of cherry blossoms to attain everlasting life.
- In Buddhism, cherries represent fertility and femininity, since the mother of Buddha was said to be supported by a holy cherry tree as she gave birth.
- Maraschino cherries, the popular ice cream sundae topping and cocktail garnish, are pickled in a brine of saltwater before being dumped back into that famous red sugary syrup.
- In the gambling world, cherries are king — especially on slot machines. The reason, according to “Professor Slots” Jon Friedl: When slot machines were first invented in the early 1900s, a number of cities quickly banned them. “To circumvent these new laws on cash-paying slot machines,” Friedl says, “manufacturers began turning their gambling devices into chewing gum dispensers.” Numbers were replaced with fruit symbols, and when you got three in a row, you won a piece of gum. Since cherry-flavored treats were most popular at the time, three cherries ultimately became the biggest — and most desired — win.
- Cherries have a good nutritional value with mostly Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and a healthy dose of fiber.
- The country of Turkey is by far the largest cherry producer followed by the U.S.
- Removing cherry stains from hands is as simple as rubbing a wedge of a fresh lemon on them.
- Red cherries contain melatonin which helps to fight against harmful toxins. These fruits also contain a high level of antioxidants which are beneficial to the human body.
- The Wood of the cherry tree has a fine structure and it is often used in the manufacture of furniture.
- At one point in time, serving ice cream on cherry pie in Kansas was prohibited.
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