We all have cherished memories of eating perfectly ripe cherries on a summer's day as children. There is no reason you cannot add to those memories, however - cherries are the ideal treat for people of all ages. Cherries are a good source of antioxidants and contain a lot of important vitamins and minerals - they contain vitamin C, iron, folate, potassium, magnesium, and beta-carotene. With all of these health benefits and such a great taste, it is no surprise that they are so popular.



When you are looking for ways to integrate cherries into your daily diet, you will find that this is easier than you could believe. Cherries are quite sweet fresh, but you will find that when they are dried and added to other things that they can be quite rich as well. For example, you will find that dried cherries are quite tasty when you put them into oatmeal.

Less sweet than syrup or sugar, dried cherries are a great way to dress up your oatmeal naturally. They are also a great addition to trail mix, where they add welcome color and flavor, not to mention vitamins and minerals.

Cherries are not just for sweets though; they help bring out the natural flavor of savory foods - they are great in a beef dish, with the cherry juice helping the meat to stay moist. Try adding the juice from a can of sweet dark cherries to horseradish, tomato paste, sauted shallots, and a little port. Simmer this mixture for about 15 minutes.

The sauce will thicken slightly as it cooks; once you remove the sauce from heat, strain the sauce, and then cover. You can sear the cherries and add them along with the sauce over roast beef. This dish can be served as is, or if you have a flair for showman (or show woman)-ship at the dinner table, the cherries can be flambed.

An unusual, but no less delicious way to get your cherries is in chili! Yes, chili! Add about cup of chopped fresh cherries to your chili along with the beans. You can use sweet or sour cherries, whichever you prefer. They add a wonderful flavor and texture to your chili.

In addition, of course there is jell-o. Do you even need a reason to add cherries to jell-o? After all, cherry jell-o is already incredibly popular. Add some chopped cherries to your jell-o to dress up this dessert standby. You can also alternate layers of jell-o with white cake to create a jell-o cake!

You can make an exciting layer for a jell-o cake or even a dessert in its own right by mixing cherry jell-o and fresh chopped cherries, then chill and fold in whipped cream. This can be whipped into a sort of icing for your jell-o cake if you can resist eating it right out of the mixing bowl! Another great dessert idea is to add some dark cherries to a bowl of vanilla ice cream or plain or vanilla yogurt delicious!

Delicious and healthy, cherries are a great treat all of us should indulge in more often. They can be added to so many different dishes that you can eat them every day of the week - if you don't just eat them all fresh on the way home from the store, that is!