With a cherry on top… (actually, just the cherries alone)
Cherries are so delicious and are available for a season of only two months maximum. They are full of potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamins A and C, Omega that balances hormones, antioxidants, and to add to all of this, they also calm the nervous system and contribute to good sleep. Yes, eating some cherries each day keeps the doctor away, and keeps you calm, healthy and well rested!!
Sakura is the Japanese name for the ornamental cherry tree. It is a recognized symbol of Japan that symbolizes the beauty and transience of life that can be in full blossom but gone in a moment – Just as the cherry blossom falls from the tree at the height of its beauty. The cherry flower is the national flower of Japan.
There is much more to the cherry Blossom than a beautiful botanical phenomenon. The days that precede the blossoming are carefully watched and reviewed and are accompanied by great excitement, thrill and detailed attention to the weather. There is great concern that an unexpected rain or strong winds might blow the flowers from the trees and shorten the beauty and the festivals that accompany it.
In Japan there are more than 400 species of cherries, but most of them do not produce edible fruit.
The cherry fruit itself is related to the Samurai and symbolizes the concept of self-sacrifice. The red color symbolizes their blood.
In England planting a cherry tree near the house will bring luck and lovers that met under a cherry tree will have good luck in their romantic lives together.
The English name of the cherry fruit has two explanations: One comes from an ancient Greek city in Asia Minor called Kerasos. The other comes from the Greek word for horns, because it is believed that cherries arouse lust. Taofartos from Asia Minor in the 4th century BC, a philosopher and disciple and successor of Aristotle, also studied plants and Jews, testified in his writings about growing cherries in Greece and Rome.
Cherries originate from the Caucasus Mountains and between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. From there, humans moved it from place to place as they migrated. it was also well distributed by birds carrying the seeds. In the Medieval days cherries were grown mainly in monasteries and only in the 16th century spread in Europe and then to America. North Turkey and northern Iran are the largest growers of cherries today.
Fresh organic cherries are so delicious that they need no more reasons to eat them, but they are also full of health and strength!
They have anti-allergenic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties (good for arthritis, inflammation of the stomach..etc.) and are connected to oral hygiene. They suppress coughing and balance cholesterol. The Hosna tribe from Pakistan eat Mahleb produced from cherry pits, and they never get cancer…
You may store organic cherries in the refrigerator for up to a week, or you may freeze them for up to about a year. You could also pit them by inserting a chopstick through the fruit, or by a special pitting device.
You can prepare from them liqueurs, compotes and lots of desserts and even pickles, but in Iran, cherries are naturally related to rice.
May it be a sweet week full of natural strengtheners and healthy joy.
Health!
Yours, Maggie and garden staff
We expect in our organic vegetable baskets, draft only:
Lettuce
Leeks
New Zealand spinach
Celery
Broccoli
Beets
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Kohlrabi
Potatoes
In the larger organic vegetable baskets, also:
Green onions
Cherry tomatoes
Fennel
???
In our organic fruit baskets:
Bananas
Melon
In the larger organic fruit baskets, also:
Peaches
And red grapefruits
