Cherries are arguably among the most iconic fruits (I’m sure you can recall some brand, cocktail or movie scene). The top of the pie or the cocktail. Before buying cherries, please keep in mind that they do not last long after they ripe, so it’s better if we buy them locally and eat them soon (or freeze, dry or prepare jam to preserve them and eat them out of the season).
Three states provide with most of the cherries in our country. Cherry season in California lasts from April until July, Oregon Joins in June, for two months and Washington is in season from June to August. If you want to see when is cherry picking season in your state, please have a look to the following table.
Cherry season table
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | ||||||||||||
| Alaska | ||||||||||||
| Arizona | ||||||||||||
| Arkansas | ||||||||||||
| California | ||||||||||||
| Colorado | ||||||||||||
| Connecticut | ||||||||||||
| Delaware | ||||||||||||
| Florida | ||||||||||||
| Georgia | ||||||||||||
| Hawaii | ||||||||||||
| Idaho | ||||||||||||
| Illinois | ||||||||||||
| Indiana | ||||||||||||
| Iowa | ||||||||||||
| Kansas | ||||||||||||
| Kentucky | ||||||||||||
| Louisiana | ||||||||||||
| Maine | ||||||||||||
| Maryland | ||||||||||||
| Massachusetts | ||||||||||||
| Michigan | ||||||||||||
| Minnesota | ||||||||||||
| Mississippi | ||||||||||||
| Missouri | ||||||||||||
| Montana | ||||||||||||
| Nebraska | ||||||||||||
| Nevada | ||||||||||||
| New Hampshire | ||||||||||||
| New Jersey | ||||||||||||
| New Mexico | ||||||||||||
| New York | ||||||||||||
| North Carolina | ||||||||||||
| North Dakota | ||||||||||||
| Ohio | ||||||||||||
| Oklahoma | ||||||||||||
| Oregon | ||||||||||||
| Pennsylvania | ||||||||||||
| Rhode Island | ||||||||||||
| South Carolina | ||||||||||||
| South Dakota | ||||||||||||
| Tennessee | ||||||||||||
| Texas | ||||||||||||
| Utah | ||||||||||||
| Vermont | ||||||||||||
| Virginia | ||||||||||||
| Washington | ||||||||||||
| West Virginia | ||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | ||||||||||||
| Wyoming |
As most of the red fruits, cherries have powerful antioxidant properties which are a great ally against aging and neurological diseases and furthermost, cancer. They are also a rich source of minerals (like zinc, iron, potassium, manganese and -surprisingly- copper), vitamins and phytonutrients. Their anti-inflammatory properties help reducing heart-disease risks. They have some very particular properties too. They can protect you against diabetes. They are one of the few natural sources of melatonine, helping your sleep, and they can decrease uric acid levels in your body, helping those persons with gout.
Because of these reasons, shall not surprise you to find cherry based powder and capsules in most health stores. But it’s so much more fun to add them to your preparations! During the season, you can eat them fresh in any salad or make a cherry barbecue sauce to combine with poultry plates or meat. Out of the season you can add dried cherries to baked goods, pies, pair dried cherries with dark chocolate chips or add frozen cherries to your favorite smoothie!
Look at the seasons of these fruits & vegetables:
