February is National Cherry Month
Printer-friendly versionNational Cherry Month
I had to think about this a little bit.
Seriously?
Cherry month?
In February?
Where in the entirety of the world do cherries grow in February?
And why do cherries deserve their own month?
My vote would have gone for pineapple at the very least…or possibly a fruit salad month which is less discriminatory. But a fresh fruit salad month in February makes as much sense as a porcupine mascot for a balloon company and we’re right back where we started in the question line up.
So I did what any self respecting writer would do.
I googled it.
And lo and behold, I found a whole bunch of didjaknows (that’s did -you –know run all together…I’ll be using it a lot. Try and keep up.) But here, I will share only a few I found particularly interesting:
1) Didjaknow that cherries have been around for centuries, at least since 300 b.c. and were loved by Greeks, Romans and Egyptians?
2) Didjaknow that the cheery blossom viewing is an actual pastime in Japan? They bloom sporadically throughout the islands from late January until early May, the beautiful and fragrant flowers gracing the landscapes for only a few weeks. (Ah-ha! Blossoms in February!)
3) Didjaknow that according to the website choosecherries.com, cherries are full of healthy antioxidants, and can help with pain control, sleep, arthritis, inflammation, and even heart health?
Well, well, well…maybe our little red friends DO deserve a whole month in their honor.
Ways to celebrate and commemorate:
Little George, His Hatchet, and the Poor Defenseless Cherry Tree 
So it occurred to me that a possible reason for the February timing on the whole cherry thing was because of George Washington and the whole cherry tree story (This is my opinion mind you, I could NOT find anything to support it).
Now. Let it made very clear, that the story itself is made up. It was, shall we say, embellished by a well meaning biographer who found the actual Georgie cold and colorless. It was, in truth, a fairy tale with a real person as the hero. And, as with a majority of fairy tales, there was a point to be made by the telling.
That point…honesty is always the best policy.
So I think it’s a story that deserves retelling. Here is a great version of it (Very brief and kid friendly), with a charming painting for an illustration compliments of apples4theteacher.com
Just Eat it!
So I made a list of all of all of the delicacies I had enjoyed featuring cherries. I came up with cherry bars (my mother recipe…check it out here), cherry cobbler and, of course, cherry pie. And that is where my personal culinary experiences with the minuscule red fruit ended. I thought it warranted improvement. So I went back to my old friend…google and I are close, and was rewarded with a bevy of recipes. Here are a few that I found particularly interesting (all from choosecherries.com) From beverages and soups to breads and desserts…who knew?
Cherry Banana Raisin Bread Pudding
Hi Ho Cherry-O!
I think all of us remember playing this game at least once in our lives. It’s been a while, but I would like to re-connect and recommend getting it out and blowing the dust off the little red box. Why? It doesn’t take long to learn, and can be played (and possibly enjoyed) by a variety of age levels. Created by Hasbro in a day and age when people talked to to each other instead of texted each other (1965), this game is good for ages 3 and up and can be played in less than 10 minutes, which is super convenient. Now its probably not the most fun or the most clever games you’ll ever play, but it is cheap, easy…and lucky for me…cherry themed entertainment. Plus anything that promotes interaction can’t be all bad.