- National Cherry Month celebrates all things cherry. This includes the folklore of George Washington’s cherry tree chopping, Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, the health benefits of this ruby red fruit and of course the great taste of the cherry, too.
The History of National Cherry Month
You wouldn’t normally think about cherries in the cold winter month of February. However, February is the perfect month to start thinking about cherries and their natural health benefits.
The reason National Cherry Month is in February is due to three reasons. The first is President’s Day, the second is George Washington’s birthday and finally the third is the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC.
You see, the cherry tree is deeply rooted in folklore of President Washington, the “alleged chopper of the cherry tree”. When George’s father asked the younger Washington who chopped down a cherry tree, the reply was “I cannot tell a lie. I chopped down the cherry tree.” Thus, a legend was born. School children and adults will always remember the cherry tree story.
As mentioned, President’s Day is also in February. In addition to Washington’s birthday, the great Abraham Lincoln also celebrates a birthday this month. The term President’s Day officially combines the birthdays of these men as well as other birthdays of former president’s into one day to honor multiple presidents.
Finally, it is National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC. This annual events celebrates the friendship between the people of Japan and the United States. This annual recognition of continued friendship dates back to 1912.
It was the year 1912 and the Mayor of Tokyo, Yukio Ozaki sent 3,000 cherry trees to the city of Washington to be planted along the National Mall. Since that day, the annual event hosts millions of visitors to the nation’s capital to enjoy countless cherry blossoms.
Health Benefits of Cherries
In addition to history, the cherry offers a number of natural health benefits including:
Helps to maintain healthy joint function Helps to maintain healthy sleep patterns Helps to soothe sore muscles due to physical exercise
This ruby red fruit is packed-full of powerful antioxidants including anthocyanins and melatonin. Published research from Michigan State University indicate the presence of anthocyanins help relieve pain naturally.
Naturally occurring melatonin found in tart cherries help to with getting more restful night’s sleep. In fact, tart cherries are natures leading sources of natural melatonin.
Finally, the presence of potassium helps to soothe sore muscles due to physical exercise. This is great news for weekend warriors and those recovering from shoveling snow during the cold winter months.
To get the benefits of cherries, you can select from a number of different options including tart cherry juice concentrate, cherry capsules, cherry powder and more. Check out Traverse Bay Farms to learn more about the different types of cherry products.
Tart Cherry Recipes
One way to celebrate National Cherry Month is to enjoy great tasting cherry recipes. I’ve Cherry Oatmeal Muffin recipe from the website Tart Cherry Recipes.com
Cherry Oatmeal Muffins
Perfect for breakfast-on-the-run or lunchbox treats.
Makes 12 muffins
Calories per muffin: 159 calories
Total fat per muffin: 5.2 grams
18 mg cholesterol
Percent fat from calories: 29%
Ingredients:
- 1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats, uncooked
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup frozen tart cherries, coarsely chopped
Instructions:
Put oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl; mix well. Combine buttermilk, egg, oil and almond extract in a small bowl. Pour buttermilk mixture into oats mixture; stir just to moisten ingredients. Quickly stir in cherries (it is not necessary to thaw cherries before chopping and adding to batter). Spray muffin pan with non-stick spray. Fill muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven 15 to 20 minutes.
Note: 1 cup canned tart cherries, drained and coarsely chopped, may be substituted for 1 cup frozen tart cherries.