100 days of cherries, made extra delicious

Home
Blog
100 days of cherries, made extra delicious

100 days of cherries, made extra delicious

Posted on Dec 11, 2019 | Tags: cherries, cherry, fruit, fruit and vegetables, summer fruit

Glossy, plump cherries are the quintessential Australian summer fruit. Available for about 100 days from November to February, cherries are prized both for their eating and decorative qualities.

Small, delicious and available in numerous shades of red, cherries are adored for their full flavour, versatility and numerous health benefits.

Kids and adults alike can’t resist a bowlful of cherries and who hasn’t at some stage playfully daggled a shining red, double cherry from the earlobes.

Luscious cherry season heralds the arrival of longer warmer days and casual eating. Try cherries

Chilled and sprinkled over a summer fruit platter,
In chilled, home-made ice-creams and smoothies
Teamed with spices for a fruity relish to serve with turkey, ham and pork
Added to savoury and sweet fruit salads
Cakes and muffins
Oven roasted with other stone fruit
In sweet and savoury sauces
Freshly blended juice to boost the goodness.
Stewed and served with muesli and yoghurt.

Cherries go with

Cherries partner perfectly with peaches, apricots, mango, plums, coriander, chocolate, cream, pastry, nuts, soft cheese, citrus, wine, vanilla, coconut, spices, turkey, ham and game.

Tip

Invest in a cherry pitter, they are available from good kitchenware stores and make removing the stone quick and easy. This is certain the way to go, if you want to cook with cherries.

Celebrate with cherries

Available in 2-kilo boxes, or sold by the kilo from your local greengrocer, cherries make an attractive gift, leave them in their original packaging or pile cherries into a colourful china bowl and wrap with cellophane.

Not all cherries are the same

There are over 80 different varieties of cherries grown across Australia. Each variety has its own unique properties, growing and harvesting requirements. The most common and popular cherries varieties grown in Australia include Merchant, Bing, Stella, Lapin, Supreme, Van, Sweetheart, Ron, Skeena, Regina, Staccato, Sequoia, Dawn series, Simone and Kordia.

Where are Australian cherries grown?

Over 40% of cherries are grown in New South Wales. Young, Hillston, Orange and Bathurst areas. Other significant growing regions include Victoria (27%) particularly around the Dandenong Ranges and Goulburn Valley near Melbourne; South Australia (17%) at the Mount Lofty Ranges and the Riverland area; Tasmania’s, Huon Valley and Derwent Valley grow (14%), and Western Australia in the elevated southwest region grows (1%) of the annual production.