KITLIVING
continued over
Cherries per 100g: Virtually fat
free, almost no protein and zero
cholesterol, approx. 45 calories
per 100g serving and 12g of carbs.
There's 1.6g (about 6% RDA) of
dietary fibre as well as a big dollop
of Vitamin A 25% and Vitamin C
16% of RDA (based on a 2,000
calorie diet).
Cherries nutrition
A
specialist breed, Jerrte
Picota cherries are
grown with no additives,
following century-long
family customs on
terraces carved out of the high mountains
in Spain's Jerte Valley, watered by crystalclear springs and in pure
air. Only this
location, with a privileged microclimate,
can grow the best cherries, with a sweet
taste and unique appearance.
The Jerte Valley, which lies South-West
of Madrid in the Cáceres region, northern
Extremadura, is famous for its incredible
white cherry blossom that appears on
more than a million trees on the slopes
of the valley each springtime, usually
from the last 10 days of March and the
first 10 days of April, flowering for about
two weeks. This is celebrated in a Cherry
Trees in Blossom Festival, applauding the
imminent arrival of the next harvest.
To make sure you are getting real
Jerte Picota cherries, look for the red and
yellow PDO logo (Protected Designation
of Origin status) on each punnet of
cherries. This certifies that the fruit has
been grown, harvested by hand and
packed under rigorous quality controlled
procedures, and has come exclusively
from the Jerte Valley. The Jerte Picota is
unique because of its PDO status and
also because it is harvested without its
stalk and has a unique shape, with a
slight peak at the base, giving it the name
'Picota' or 'peaked'.
Dishes have been specially created by
top Spanish chefs (see over for recipe).
Sorting Jerte Picota cherries by hand. If you look, you might
find Jerte Picota cherries featured in Spanish restaurants,
especially in London, at this time of year.
www.cerezadeljerte.org/en/