Cherry | OtterKnow Kids Encyclopedia

What Is a Cherry?

A cherry is a small, round fruit classified as a drupe, which means it has a fleshy outer layer surrounding a single hard pit that protects the seed inside. There are two main types of cherries: sweet cherries (Prunus avium) that you eat fresh, and sour cherries (Prunus cerasus) that are used mostly for baking and cooking. Cherries belong to the rose family, making them relatives of peaches, plums, and almonds. They come in shades ranging from deep red and nearly black to bright yellow with a rosy blush.

Where Cherries Come From

Cherries have been enjoyed since ancient times, with evidence that people in Europe and western Asia gathered wild cherries thousands of years ago. The Romans helped spread cherry trees across Europe as their empire expanded. European settlers brought cherry trees to North America in the 1600s, and the fruit thrived in the cooler climates of states like Michigan, Oregon, and Washington. Today, Turkey is the world’s largest cherry producer, while the United States ranks among the top five.

How Cherries Grow

Cherry trees burst into beautiful blossoms each spring, and these flowers must be pollinated by bees before the fruit can develop. One of the trickiest things about growing cherries is that they have a very short harvest window of only about two to three weeks. A sudden rainstorm during harvest can cause ripe cherries to split open, ruining the crop. Because of this, some cherry farmers use helicopters to blow rainwater off the trees after a storm, protecting the delicate fruit.

Sweet, Sour, and In Between

The Bing cherry is the most popular sweet cherry variety in the United States, named after a Chinese-American orchard worker who helped develop it in Oregon in the 1800s. Sour cherries, like the Montmorency variety, have a tart flavor that makes them perfect for cherry pies and preserves. Maraschino cherries, the bright red ones you see on ice cream sundaes, start as regular cherries but are soaked in a sugary solution and dyed to get their vivid color. Cherry blossoms are so beloved in Japan that people celebrate their blooming each spring during a festival called hanami.

Cherries and Your Health

Cherries are a good source of vitamin C, potassium, and fiber, all of which help keep your body running smoothly. The deep red color of cherries comes from anthocyanins, the same antioxidant pigments found in blueberries. Some athletes drink tart cherry juice because research suggests it may help muscles recover faster after exercise. Cherry pits do contain small amounts of a compound that can produce cyanide, but the hard shell keeps it safely locked away as long as you do not crack open and eat the pits.