Because cherries are so… very. Cherries are an amazing fruit, little jewels dangling from branches that not long ago painted the sky with a cloud of pink petals. They come in an amazing array of flavors and colors, from the rich black cherry to the deliciously light and sweet Rainier cherry.
While most people enjoy cherries in the middle of summer, Cherry month serves to remind you that cherries can be enjoyed at any time of year, in all their forms.
History of Cherry Month
Cherry month was established to help bring awareness to the availability of the fruit throughout the year. Leelanau Fruit Co. celebrates it in some of the most outrageous ways possible, including such competitions as pie eating competitions, where cherry pies are consumed en masse as tribute to their crimson deliciousness.
There’s also the Cherry juice flip cup, and the decidedly less tasty and perhaps somewhat disconcerting pit spitting competitions. Thankfully cherries aren’t about showing decorum, but lavishly enjoying this most delicious fruit and relishing in all of its glory, right down to the pit!
Cherries as we know them originated with the sweet cherry, a tree that ranges all throughout Europe and into some of Northern Africa. It’s been eaten since times prehistoric, and was ultimately introduced to England in Teynham by order of the King, Henry VIII. Since then they spread throughout the world and are now enjoyed everywhere in all their variations.
This is particularly surprising given that cherry trees are somewhat finicky and difficult to keep alive, especially in wet climates. Here’s looking at you England, how you managed to keep them alive on that great foggy island North North-East of Spain is nothing shy of amazing. But that’s the power of people’s love of cherries. They’ll do anything to get their fix.
How to celebrate Cherry Month
Cherry Month is best celebrated by indulging in massive consumption of cherries. Start your day with a fresh bowl of cherries chilled from the fridge, and pack a few for lunch. Share them with your friends at work, and bring a few varieties you hadn’t tried up till now! Throughout the month you can add a glass of tart cherry juice, well known for its ability to help ease sore muscles, and on at least one night indulge in a piping hot slice of cherry pie. You know you love it, we do!
