Rainier Cherries Are In Season- No Recipe Required!

Enjoy these sweet Rainier cherries while they are available!

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Rainier Cherries
Here's a short post to encourage you to run out and get your Rainier cherries while they are in season. You may have passed them in the grocery store and wondered what they are. And, you may have walked quickly past them after looking at their price tag. But these beauties are worth trying as they are the sweetest cherry I've ever eaten!

Their price tag reflects how difficult it is to grow these beauties. They are extremely sensitive to heat,  too much rain and gusts of wind. To add insult to injury, the birds eat about a third of the crop!

Born in 1952
This cherry was named after Mount Rainier and was developed by Harold Fogle in Washington State University's breeding program in 1952. But it wasn't available to the general public until eight years later. It is a cross between the Bing and the Van cherry. 

Rainier cherries are beautifully colored in layers of gold with blush tones of pink and red. Washington state is the premier growing region because of its particular climate. But they also grow in other states such as Oregon, Idaho, Utah, New York and California. Some orchards are also found in Canada and Chile.

No Recipe Required
I'm sure you can bake these into pies, or whip them into ice cream or smoothies, but the very best way to eat this delightful fruit is right out of the bowl!

1 cup of these sweet cherries provides:

87 calories

0.5 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat

Zero cholesterol

36 mg omega-3 and 37 mg omega-6 fatty acids

22 g carbohydrates

18 g sugar

3 g dietary fiber 

1.5 g protein

16% RDA vitamin C

So get them while you can. They won't be around long.

Vegan Tart Cherry And Almond Scones

These vegan scones are quick and easy to make.
They are just 127 calories and less than 1g of saturated fat!

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Perfecting the Healthy Scone
I love scones but they are usually made with cream, butter and white flour, all of which I avoid. For some time now I've been trying to perfect a "healthy" scone. Well, I wouldn't regard this recipe as "health food" but, for a scone, it comes pretty darn close.


This recipe features King Arthur's white whole wheat flour which gives the whole grain goodness of wheat with the lightness of white flour. They also contain tart cherries which are high up there on the ORAC scale (6800 per 100 grams), a measurement of the antioxidant capacity of food. Almonds not only give a nice crunch but also contribute manganese and vitamin E. Soy creamer and Earth Balance replace the cream and butter so the scones are free of cholesterol and have only 0.7 grams of saturated fat. These are also low in sugar with only a little over one teaspoon per scone. Bottom line, these delicious breakfast treats weigh in at only 127 calories and provide 2.6 grams of fiber per serving.


Tart Cherry and Almond Whole Wheat Scones
Vegan
[makes 8 scones]


1 cup King Arthur's white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons organic cane sugar plus 1/2 teaspoon for sprinkling
2 tablespoons Earth Balance vegan buttery spread
1/2 cup Silk soy creamer
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped dried tart cherries
3 tablespoons slivered almonds


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and lightly oil a cookie sheet.


Combines flour, baking powder, baking soda and 3 tablespoons of sugar in a medium size mixing bowl.


Using a pastry blender, mix the Earth Balance into the flour mixture.

Mix in until the flour resembles course meal.

Add soy creamer and vanilla and stir with a rubber spatula until flour mixture is moistened. 
Stir in the dried cherries and almonds.

Stir dried cherries and almonds into moistened flour mixture.

Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, scoop 8 scones onto the lightly oiled cookie sheet. 
Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of sugar evenly over the scones. (That's 1/2 teaspoon for all 8 scones - it doesn't take much).

Using an ice cream scoop makes this so easy.

Bake until golden brown and tops are firm when gently pressed, about 12 to 15 minutes. 


Remove from oven and serve immediately with vegan cream cheese or low sugar strawberry jam. 


NOTE: The baking time is perhaps the trickiest thing in this recipe. If you bake them for too short a period of time they are doughy but even a minute too long will make them too brown so play around with it until you figure out your oven. It may take a few tries but you'll enjoy each attempt!

Experiment with other dried fruits and nuts.

VARIATION: You can also make these with other dried fruits such as raisins, dried cranberries, apricots or prunes. Try other nuts too such as English walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans or cashews. 
I've nearly perfected the gluten free version of this so stand by!

Did You Know That Cherries Can Help Cure Gout? - Natural Remedies For Gout

What is Gout?

Gout is an condition that results from having too much uric acid in the blood. It's actually a form of arthritis. When the uric acid crystallizes in the joints, it can cause severe pain, usually in the big toe. People who have gout are often males (90% are men) who eat and drink too much and are overweight but this is not always the case. Several years ago I was shocked to find that the excruciating pain in my husband's toe was diagnosed as gout. At 49 years old, trim and eating a balance "plant centric" diet, he did not exactly fit the profile of someone with gout. But he had it, none the less. We went into "overdrive" trying to find a natural way to cure this painful condition.

How do you get Gout?

Uric acid build up is a result of eating certain "purine" rich foods and your body's inability to adequately remove the uric acid. Some of the foods high in purines include:

Meat: Beef, pork, lamb, meat-based gravies, poultry and organ meats.

Seafood: Anchovies, codfish, haddock, herring, mussels, sardines, scallops, trout and fish eggs.

Beverages: Alcohol, especially beer.

Vegetables/Legumes: Asparagus, cauliflower, mushrooms, spinach, peas, lentils dried beans.

Other: Oatmeal, breads with yeast,

Other things cause cause a rise of uric acid which can lead to gout. These include stress, injury, chemotherapy, obesity, kidney failure and potassium deficiency.

What You Can Do

Eat Cherries

Fresh or frozen cherries can neutralize uric acid. Cherries are in season right now so eat plenty of them. You can also drink unsweetened cherry juice. Strawberries are also beneficial.

Other Dietary Measures

* Avoid the high purine foods listed above, especially meat. Avoid sugars, saturated fats and rich foods like cakes and gravies. Reduce diuretic foods, coffee, sodas, tea with caffeine, and alcohol.

* Eat lots of raw fruits and veggies along with some grains, nuts and seeds.

* Drink lots of pure water. Many recommend distilled. I've also seen some recommend alkaline water.

* Eat foods high in potassium. The RDI of potassium is 3,500 mg and it's safe to take more. Foods high in potassium include baked potatoes with their skins, yams, bananas, avocados and dried apricots, to name a few. Drink high potassium Potato Skin broth. See recipe below.

Natural Supplements

While researching this topic, I found a number of natural supplements that support the immune system and have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Many of them contain cherry extract, turmeric (a powerful antioxidant) and rutin (a citrus bioflavonoid). Check out the Gout Treatment association for a review of Top Natural Gout Treatment Options. Their top pick is Uricelax. Uricelax contains tart cherry extract along with natural COX-2 inhibitors that relieve inflammation. Other ingredients are said to "minimize uric acid accumulation in joints, decrease water retention, promote healthy kidney function and promote healthy immune system function".

Weigh Loss and Risk of Gout

In a 12 year study of 47,000 middle age men, Massachusetts General Hospital researchers found a strong connection between weight loss and a substantial reduced risk of gout. They noticed that men who had gained 30 or more pounds in adulthood doubled their risk of getting gout. But men who had lost at least 10 pounds cut their risk of gout by 40%. They also found that gout risk increases with high blood pressure and the use of water pills (diuretics).

Although losing weight is important for gout management, it is not healthy to go on a crash diet since that could result in an increase of uric acid levels in the blood.

A Caution with Pain Killers

Avoid aspirin as it can raise the level of uric acid in your blood. Ibuprofen does not do this so if you are going to take pain killers, only use ones with ibuprofen.

***

High Potassium Potato Skin Broth

(To restore your potassium levels)

Peels from 5 large scrubbed potatoes (keep about 1/2 inch of the potato)

1 large carrot, sliced

1 stalk of celery, sliced

5 cups water

1/2 small onion, peeled and cut in 4 pieces

Combine ingredients and simmer covered for 1 hour. Cool, strain and drink.