The warm months of summer are not complete without a bowl of cherries to sweeten (or sour) things up. Cherries are related to plums, peaches and nectarines. Cherries have a limited growing season so lovers must take advantage!  There are two main types of cherries, sweet and sour: montgomery are the best known sour cherries while the sweet varieties are bing, lambert and rainer

Cherries can be kept in the refrigerator or freezer. Cherries in the refrigerator should last up to a week. You can also freeze cherries by spreading them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet and then placing them in the freezer overnight.

When preparing cherries to eat, they can be eaten raw, alone or accompanied by other fruits. Simply wash the fruit and serve with the stems. Poaching is the most common form of cooking cherries.

Here are a few tips to make cherries part of your day

• Add cherries to a fruit salad
• Poached cherries make an excellent topping for low fat ice cream or low fat frozen yogurt
• Dried cherries add sweetness to oatmeal or trail mix