It’s CHERRY season!  And I’m obsessed!  Do you like cherries?  Surprisingly many consumers have never tried them.  There are lots of excuses as to why this seasonal favorite of mine is overlooked & to be honest with you – I hate excuses.  For instance, people don’t want to pay $4 per pound for fruit.  But we will pay $4 for a 10oz bag of potato chips.  Maybe the pit throws you off & you find it to be a nuisance.  Yet it’s a novelty & fun to eat a watermelon with seeds.  Cherries have a short season & you gotta act now to enjoy this fruit at it’s peak.

My friends at Sage Fruit are one of the industry leaders when it comes to cherry farming.  They are located in the state of Washington, which is the premier region in the United States for growing cherries.  There are 2 basic varieties when it comes to cherries: Dark Sweet Cherries &Rainier Cherries.

Dark Sweet Cherries are firm with dark skin & flesh with a sweet, rich flavor.  Bings are the most popular dark sweet variety & the leading commercial sweet cherry in the United States, but other Dark Sweet varieties include: Chelan, Tieton, Lapin, Sweetheart, and Skeena.

Rainier Cherries are firm with yellow skin and red blush.  Rainiers are sweet, but the flavor is different – I actually compare it to a nectarine, so it’s a very different sweet than what you experience with a dark sweet cherry.  And, yes… Rainier Cherries are named after the famous Mt. Rainier from the state of Washington!

Why do I eat cherries?  Well, they taste good.  That’s the primary reason.  But I also enjoy them for various health & wellness benefits

• perfect 100 calorie snack… yep, 100 calories in a cup of cherries!
• high in vitamin A, C & E
• natural antihistamine & anti-inflammatory – congested?  try cherries!
• rich in melatonin… my go-to midnight snack.  which is always when I crave sweets!

Now – let’s PUT A CHERRY ON TOP of all this great information about my favorite summer fruit… my amigos at Sage Fruit are offering a $100 grocery gift card to a lucky Produce Mom fan!  Here’s how YOU can enter to win:

1.  Print out Cherry Produce Mom

2.  Snap a picture of her doing something fun, something that really resonates with our tagline of “Put a Cherry on Top!”

3.  Share your picture on The Produce Mom’s Facebook Page

4.  Entries must be submitted by Tuesday, July 31st.

5.  Winner will be based off popular vote & announced on Wednesday, August 1st

6.   PRIZE… $100 gift card to your favorite grocery store!

No matter what you do today… PUT A CHERRY ON TOP!

Enjoy.  Have Fun.  Good Luck.

xoxo Produce Mom