Three things you may not know about cherries

• Cherries come in two categories: sweet cherries, which can be eaten fresh right off the tree, and sour cherries, which are usually cooked.
• The darker the cherry, the sweeter the flavour.
• The cherry is considered lucky, and is an alternative to the apple as the fruit of paradise.

Three ways to try cherries right now

• In preserves on toasted English muffins.
• With chopped almonds in a chutney or relish.
• In kirsch, the French liqueur made from distilled cherries, poured over ice cream and chocolate.

Three places to travel to get the pick of the crop

• B.C.'s Okanagan, Similkameen and Kootenay valleys, which together produce about 60 percent of Canada's cherry crop.

Three varieties to tempt your taste buds

• Rainier, Sweetheart, Royal Ann

One tip you can't live without

• Since the pit of a cherry (which can't be eaten!) has a taste similar to almonds, cherries have a natural affinity with the nut. Add a drop of almond extract to cherry dishes to enhance the cherry flavour.

One thing to remember at the grocery store

• Choose cherries with the stems attached. Once the stems are removed, cherries spoil quickly; keep them for up to three days loosely wrapped in paper towel in the refrigerator.