Drinking tart cherry juice concentrate significantly improves sleep according to the latest research from Northumbria University.
Their sleep research department has found that Montmorency cherry juice improves both the quality and the duration of sleep. Dr Ellis, a member of the research team, said: “…. the melatonin contained in tart cherry juice is sufficient to elicit a healthy sleep response.”
cherry
Sour cherries are:
- grown in North America
- used for cherry pies, jams, and juice
- too tart to eat raw
- smaller, more globular & softer fleshed than sweet cherries
The Montmorency cherry is a variety of sour cherry (Prunus cerasus). It was the The Montmorency cherry that was shown in the latest research to have a beneficial effect on sleep.
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The Sweet Cherry tree was full of ripe cherries in the morning, by the afternoon the starlings had stripped the tree of cherries and leaves. All that was left of the cherries is shown in the photo below.
plate-of-cherries
The ripe cherries have sweet, firm flesh. There are many recipes using cherries, but our favourite is cherry clafoutis.
single-cherry
We have put old tights over the cherry branches in the past, to keep the birds off. We will have to be on our toes next year to stop the starlings taking the sweet cherries again!
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The cherries are ripe and we have a huge crop this year.
cherries
Now is the time for a cherry clafoutis - my favourite pudding! Easy to make – but it does not use many of the ripe cherries!
ripe-cherries
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The Natural History Museum launched the first UK cherry tree survey this week.
They are asking people to survey cherry trees using a form which can be downloaded from their website. All varieties of cherries are included, from Morello cherries to wild cherries.
cherry-blossom
The National History Museum scientists will use the information collected to produce a map of cherry tree locations & their flowering and fruiting timings. These timings will then be monitored to see if climate change is having a significant effect on the flowering and fruiting seasons of the cherry trees.
Participants in the survey can report on any cherry trees they see, not just their own trees. Cherry trees in parks, on allotments or down by the river, are equally important to the survey team.
To take part in the first UK cherry tree survey go to www.nhm.ac.uk/cherries
Prunus cerasus L. – The Sour Cherry or Morello Cherry
Prunus cerasus caproniana - Kentish Red Cherry
Research in America has shown that a slice of cherry pie a day may cut the chances of heart disease.
Sour dark cherries, eaten fresh or in jams and juices, are thought to be beneficial to the heart due to some property in the pigment that gives the fruit its red colour.
Sweet desert cherries do not have the same benefits.
Dr Steven Bolling, from the University of Michigan, found that eating cherries cuts the risk of heart disease, and also strokes and diabetes. As well as possessing anti-inflammatory properties, cherries are rich in antioxidants and contain a compound known as anthocyanins, which give them their deep, rich red colour.
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Prunus cerasus L. – The Sour Cherry or Morello Cherry
Prunus cerasus caproniana – Kentish Red Cherry
Research in America has shown that a slice of cherry pie a day may cut
the chances of heart disease.
Sour dark cherries, eaten fresh or in jams and juices, are thought to
be beneficial to the heart due to some property in the pigment that
gives the fruit its red colour.
Sweet desert cherries do not have the same benefits.
Dr Steven Bolling, from the University of Michigan, found that eating
cherries cut the risk of heart disease, and also strokes and
diabetes. As well as possessing anti-inflammatory properties,
cherries are rich in antioxidants and contain a compound known as
anthocyanins, which give them their deep, rich red colour.
Comments Off
