^{by Sharon Quercioli}

One of my fond memories of cherries is picking them off the tree and eating them. Oh my, I just love the dark cherries! I know this is not the healthiest, but my mother would put a scoop of ice cream in a bowl, top it with whipped cream, then drop a cherry right on top. Since then, I’ve associated cherries with dessert. After all, they are sweet and decadent.

Back then my mind associated them with desserts, but now I think of them as healthy. After all, they are a fruit. Sure, they might be sweet, but that sugar is naturally occurring and—in moderation—is better for you than processed sugars and for me they help me sleep, which I will talk about later in the article.

Cherries Help To Reduce Inflammation

Because they have been previously linked to the ability to reduce the level of nitric oxide in your body, they have also been linked to rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. A study with 633 people with gout determined that cherry intake led to a 35% lower risk of gout attacks when compared to a diet without cherries.

Cherries Can Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease

Cherries that are tart contain vitamins and minerals, which have similar health benefits like prescription drugs that can regulate your flucose and fat levels if you have metabolic syndrome. Interestingly, research published in Science Daily (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130423102129.htm) asserts that when you eat sour cherries in addition to prescribed medications for metabolic syndrome you can reduce the risk of a stroke. Of course, it is always a great practice to ask your doctor before changing your diet.

Cherries Can Help You Get A Good Night’s Sleep

Did you know that drinking tart cherry juice before bed can not only help your sleep time but also help the quality of your sleep? Try it out and see if it works for you. This pilot study (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3133468/) indicated that the adults in the study saved almost 20 minutes of wake time when they drank cherry juice before bed. That’s over two hours a week, which can really add up.

My Favorite Cherry Recipes

I want to share a couple of my favorite cherry recipes with you. The first is a main course meal with cherries (Wheat Berry Salad with Kale and a Cherry Vinaigrette) and the second is a wonderful accompaniment to any light dessert (Candied Bourbon Cherries).

Wheat Berry Salad with Kale and a Cherry Vinaigrette

For this salad recipe, you’re going to need wheat berries, which look a bit like brown rice. In fact, this is what people grind to make wheat flour. The wheat berries will add plenty of healthy fiber and complex carbohydrates to this hearty salad.

What you’re going to need:

• Six cups of water
• A fourth of a cup of uncooked wheat berries
• A cup and a half of pitted fresh cherries, divided
• Two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
• A tablespoon and a half of extra-virgin olive oil
• Two teaspoons of grainy Dijon mustard
• A half of a teaspoon of black pepper
• Two bunches of kale, stemmed and torn
• A half of a teaspoon of kosher salt
• A half of a cup of thinly sliced baby watermelon radishes
• A fourth of a cup of firmly packed small fresh mint leaves

What to do with those things:

1. Mix 6 cups water and the wheat berries in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over high. Then bring heat down to medium-low. Let it simmer until the berries are tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Drain well.
2. To make the vinaigrette, place a half of a cup of cherries in a food processor. Then add the vinegar, oil, mustard, and pepper to it. Process it all until the mixture is smooth. It should take about a minute.
3. For the salad, put the kale in a medium bowl; sprinkle with salt. Use your hands to firmly massage salt into kale until leaves are slightly softened. This should take a couple minutes. Add the cooked berries and three-fourths of the dressing to massaged kale; toss to coat. Cut remaining 1 cup cherries in half lengthwise. Add halved cherries, radish slices, and mint leaves to kale mixture; toss gently to combine.
4. To serve, top the salad with almonds, then drizzle with the rest of the dressing. Serve immediately so it won’t wilt.

Candied Bourbon Cherries

You don’t have to worry, since you’re cooking the bourbon, all that alcohol is going to cook off. What you’re going to be left with is the bourbon flavor mixed with the sweet cherry taste, which you can pour over ice cream, cake (or any other pastry) and

What things are you going to need:

1. One and a half pounds of fresh Bing cherries (with stems)
2. A half of a cup of sugar (or the equivalent of your favorite sugar substitute)
3. A third of a cup of fresh lime juice
4. A fourth of a cup of water
5. A cup of bourbon

What to do with those things:

1. Put the cherries in a medium glass bowl or large jar.
2. Mix sugar/sugar substitute, juice, and a fourth of a cup of water in a small saucepan. Wait until it boils.
3. Reduce heat to medium, then cook for five minutes. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
4. Add a cup of bourbon. Again, wait until it boils.
5. Pour the hot bourbon mixture over cherries.
6. Wait until it cools completely. Then cover and place in your refrigerator for—at least—3 days.

TIP: I like to wait at least six days to really let everything steep.