Office fruit box news:

While it is a little-know celebration in the UK, thousands of people across the US mark February each year as National Cherry Month.

The tradition stems from a tale about former US president George Washington and how he could not lie to his father about chopping down a cherry tree.

Cherries have since become a symbol of Washington’s birthday and Americans continue to celebrate the event - in addition to Presidents’ Day on February 21st - by eating cherry pie, with its perfect patriotic red colour.

What is more, their pretty colour and sweet, tantalising taste make cherries the perfect fruit for Valentine’s Day.

Cherries are a healthy snack and a potent source of calcium, iron, magnesium and copper.

Research suggests cherries can also reduce cholesterol and have anti-inflammatory benefits which can help to relieve the pain of conditions such as arthritis.

Why not sprinkle cherries on top of breakfast cereal this month for a healthy start to the day?

 

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 12:10 pm and is filed under Fruit health benefits and fruit facts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.