Hey, did you know that in the Romanian folk tradition June is also called Ciresar?
June is the first summer month and is called CIRESAR because it is ... the month in which the cherries are ripe. :)
Cherries have a sweet and aromatic taste and are among my favorite fruits. In my garden there are two cherry trees and this year they have done plenty of fruits.
But until it came to be the tree full of red and fat cherries, first time there was a flower ... even a bud.... or many...
That was in April ... my cherry trees full of snow, white flowers.
I have been waiting very impatiently the whole month of May for cherries to ripen and, finally at the end of May the first two cherries were almost ripe. :))
Poems by romanian Mălina Cajal
"From cherries, I make earrings,
They are beautiful
My earrings.
Red balls at the ears,
Rocking
pairs,
But they will not be
Old jewelery.
What are you wondering? That's earrings
How much you eat and still want!"
But here's the long awaited moment:
Ok! Let's see what the cherries are good for and what we do with them:
Cherries contain water - 75-89%, sugars, acids, pectins, proteins, tanoids, mineral salts, provitamin A, vitamins B1, B2, B6, C, E, PP.
One thing less known about these fruits is that cherries are a (natural source of melatonin), a hormone that helps regulate the sleep cycle.
Cherries have many beneficial effects on health:
- for heart and circulatory system,
- for the brain - protects the brain cells from oxidative stress
- they are a natural anti-inflammatory and can prevent gout attacks.
- they are a liver and gastric regulator, and have a laxative effect.
Cherries are recommended for the treatment of atherosclerosis, obesity, liver disease, arthritis, lithiasis (urinary and biliary), intestinal fermentation and constipation.
For the elderly, cooked cherries (in the form of compotes and jam) are better than fresh ones.
We can use cherries in many ways:
- Eat them as they are - fresh.
- Put them in the freezer to use them in autumn and winter for smoothies and sorbets.
- Make a cake sponge (pie) as my mother-in-law did. She used here, a mixture of cherries and sour cherries. We like sponge cakes with various fruits. It does not take long for cooking, it does not have much sugar or fat, and it's very tasty.
We can do stewed fruits as you can see from the picture below.
Also cherries are delicious in smoothies.
Below is a delicious recipe I tested this week.
Ingredients:
1 cup, cherry pitted,
1-2 small cup cottage goat cheese
1 small cup yogurt or kefir
1 small cup water (optional)
1-2 spoon honey
Put everything in the blender for 10 seconds and, ... it's ready
Cheers!!!
Oh, I almost forgot! From the peduncles of cherry it can make teas which are very good for urinary infections ( cystitis), urethritis (urethral infections) and nephritis (inflammatory kidney disease).
I set aside to dry, some cherry peduncles... just in case ...
Let me end up with the poem :
Cherry-Time by Robert Graves
“Merry, Merry,
Take a cherry;
Me has a sounder,
Me has rounder,
Me has sweeter
For the eater
In the moonlight.
And you'll be fairies pretty.”
Keep calm and enjoy cherries!
didutza