We Took The Love Fresh Cherries Challenge!

It’s cherry season! That gorgeous time of the year when cherries can be found in abundance on supermarket shelves. Cherries are delicious and when in season they are very affordable.

Until I took this challenge I wasn’t aware that cherries contain melatonin which is excellent for promoting good sleep. They are also filled with powerful antioxidants and packed with vitamin C.

So for The Love Fresh Cherries challenge I was invited to introduce fresh cherries into our lives! To be honest my children haven’t eaten fresh cherries on many occasions, mainly due to the stones. I was very helpfully provided with a cherry pitter (who even knew such a thing existed!) which made the removal of the stones a whole lot easier. The girls used the pitter themselves, often resulting in the flesh being squelched out more often than the stones – there’s definitely a knack to it!

As we were holidaying in Devon during the challenge, it soon became apparent that cherries are perfect for packed lunches. I rinsed the cherries in their plastic container, wrapped the container with some kitchen roll and off we went. Cherries seem to withstand being carried around in a rucksack all day and were delicious in the summer sun. Did we take the cherry pitter? No, eating cherries alfresco just required a bag to dispose of the stones.

On return I have bought another pack of cherries and may make them into cakes if they last long enough, they are bound to taste much better than glace cherries. I’m also considering making scones to go with the clotted cream we bought in Devon, cherries on the side sounds divine and because they are packed with so many wonderful nutrients, the calories will be cancelled – surely!

Some Facts About British cherries

• Britain’s cherry season runs from June through September

• You can get your hands on a number of varieties that ripen at different times. ‘Mercant’ cherries are available now and can be distinguished by their dark red skin and large size, followed by others including exclusive English variety ‘Penny’, and ‘Kordia’ and ‘Sweetheart’, which ripens towards the end of the season.

• Legend has it that you can trace the route of old Roman Roads in Britain by looking out for wild cherry trees. It has been suggested that Roman legions spat out the stones from the fruit as they marked through Britain.

• Britain’s biggest cherry tree is 45 feet tall!

As all my children take packed lunches to school, I think cherries would be the perfect addition whilst they are still in season.

This post is an entry for the BritMums #lovefreshcherries Challenge, sponsored by Love Fresh Cherries (instagram: @LoveFreshCherries)