The gift of cherries & a smoothie recipe
It's cherry season - lay-bys are decorated with the unmistakable green and white stripes and the tanned people than man them. On a side note - why is it only cherries sold in lay-bys? Answers on a postcard...
Cherries are bursting with nutritional properties - they're a great source of fibre and extremely low GL (glyceamic load - good news for balancing blood sugar). And keeping with the idea that characteristics of a fruit hint to what they are good for (their blood red colour) they are great for cardiovascular health by helping to lower cholesterol.
Studies showed that cherries are excellent for reducing inflammation, from the heart through to joints - and are highly recommended for exercise related muscle pain. If all of that wasn't impressive enough, cherries have also shown to promote melatonin production which is a hormone responsible for ensuring you get a great nights sleep.
These ruby beauties are rife throughout Sussex and Kent at the moment - most of the A roads around Lewes are homing a cherry stall and now is the time to stock up on this brilliant fruit. Buy loads and once you've stained your hands and tongue get to work on stoning and freezing the rest and make them an essential ingredient of your morning smoothie. They are sweet, full of fibre and an excellent addition year round to your nutritional intake.
I swear by a cherry smoothie around 3-4 times a week - they're super easy to make and see me feeling satisfied for a large portion of the day. Here's my recipe:
125g stoned, frozen cherries
50g frozen blueberries
40g rolled oats
1 tsp chia seeds
1 tsp nut butter
1 tsp Maca powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp live natural yoghurt or a couple of splashes of nut/seed milk
75ml water (less if using milk instead of yoghurt)
Put all of above in a smoothie cup/jug ( I use a Nutri Ninja) and blitz until smooth and drink with a straw or pour into a bowl and top with toasted almond and coconut flakes.
Places cherries have been spotted (please feel free to add any in comments below!)
A275 just before South Chailey
A272 between Newick and Piltdown
A26 turning right from Lewes at Beddingham roundabout heading to Newhaven
Sold at Holmansbridge Farm, Barcombe
Sold at Rushfields, Henfield
Sold at Park Farm Shop, Falmer