Cherries have a very short growing season and can grow in most temperate latitudes. The peak season for cherries is in the summer. In Australia and New Zealand they are usually at their peak in late December, in southern Europe in June, in North America in June, in south British Columbia (Canada) in July to mid-August and in the UK in mid-July. In many parts of North America, they are among the first tree fruits to ripen, while in Australia and New Zealand cherries are widely associated with Christmas

Nutrition

Nutritional value

Raw sweet cherries are 82% water, 16% carbohydrates, 1% protein, and negligible in fat (table). As raw fruit, sweet cherries provide little nutrient content per 100 g serving, as only dietary fiber and vitamin C are present in moderate content, while other vitamins and dietary minerals each supply less than 10% of the Daily Value (DV) per serving, respectively (table).

Compared to sweet cherries, raw sour cherries contain 50% more vitamin C per 100 g (12% DV) and about 20 times more vitamin A (8% DV), beta-Carotene in particular (table).

Production

Top sour cherry producing nations in 2014 (tonnes)

Country	Production
Russia	198,000
Ukraine	182,880
Turkey	182,577
Poland	176,545
United States	137,983
Iran	111,993
Serbia	93,905
Hungary	91,840
Uzbekistan	45,000
Uzbekistan	45,000
Azerbaijan	25,669
World	1,362,231

 

Top (sweet) cherry producing nations in 2014 (tonnes)

Country	Production
Turkey	445,556
United States	329,852
Iran	172,000
Spain	118,220
Italy	110,766
Chile	83,903
Uzbekistan	80,000
Russia	77,000
Greece	73,380
World	2,245,826