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The Jamaican Cherry has red, sometimes yellow skin, is yellow inside and has two to three small oval seeds. It is slightly sweet, slightly tart and juicy, and is used to make juices, or washed and eaten just picked from the tree. The cherries are low in carbohydrates and are packed with vitamin C, vitamin A and folate.
The Jamaican Cherry is native to the Caribbean, southern Mexico, Central America and south to Peru and Bolivia. But it has also been found as far away as India and the Philippines. The Jamaican Cherry is known by several names, including Panama berry, Singapore cherry, and manzanitas.
The Jamaican Cherry is also a flowering tree. The flowers can be used as an antiseptic and also to relieve headaches and colds.
I took this flower, which I’ve magnified several times, around November. Since then, there has been two crops of fruit – cherries are in season again.
The trees are beautiful in season with specks of red peeking out from among verdant green leaves. The fruit can be picked individually or shaken from the tree, which typically grows no more than 6 or 7 feet tall. And since the trees are not very large, they can be found in the backyard gardens of most Jamaican families.
During the season, it’s possible to get dozens of cherries – more than enough to juice. I usually freeze them and use them sparingly until the next crop. For color, I add some to my homemade fruit juices.
The Jamaican cherry is in season now so if you’re visiting or planning to visit soon, you should try the fresh juice. Ask at your hotel or guest house if there’s some on the menu, or if they can get some. I know some of the smaller establishments will gladly oblige.
The juice is quite easy to make. Put cherries in a blender, add enough water to cover the fruit and blend. (You can also add a bit more water if the juice is too thick.) Strain, add a little nutmeg, lime or ginger, and sugar to taste. Serve over ice or chill before serving.
This is my submission to Travel Photo Thursday, which is organized by Nancie at Budget Travelers Sandbox. Be sure to head over and check out more photos from locations around the world.
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41 Comments on "The Jamaican Cherry"
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The fruit that you’ve identified is definitely not the Jamaican Cherry, but rather the acerola (Barbados Cherry). They do both appear to be very similar, but based on the flower and the seeds, it’s the Barbados variety – a fruit with one of the highest Vitamin C counts. You can see for yourself at this website:
http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu/News%20columns/Barbados.Cherry.htm
Thanks for that information, Dave. They do appear to be similar.
Thanks for the clarification.
I’ll have to do some research and see if we can get them here. I have always wanted a cherry tree.
We have our lilly pilly’s here which are our native version of a cherry. I like them a lot but they are vey different to the commercial cherry.
The fruit of your cherry looks pithy and fleshy, like our lilly pilly’s.
I’ve never thought of having cherry juice.
You should try making cherry juice with your lilly polly, Narelle. I just put it in the blender with water and strain to remove any large pieces of the seed that didn’t get blended.
I am so amazed that Jamaica even has it’s own cherry. But that yellow meat inside looks sweet. I wonder if it taste anything like the Rainer bing cherries (the only ones I eat). I have to explore more.
It’s not indigenous to Jamaica but we claim it. There’s a lot of it here. I was picking some just last weekend.
Birds love them – there were lots of half eaten ones on the tree!
What caught my eye was how red it was and perfectly shaped. I love cherries but the price remains high in these parts. 😉
Eliz
Oh, shame. I just noticed another crop on the tree this afternoon. They’re green now but they might be ready by the time we see each other. Will see if I can bring you some.
I live near the Philippines and even closer to Singapore, but I don’t think I’ve seen these trees around Malaysia. Having one in your backyard and picking your own fruit sounds wonderful.
Oh, sorry, Michele! For sure, it’s quite convenient to have a tree in the backyard. This evening, I noticed that tree’s full of cherries again — they’re green now but will be ready for eating soon.
I love sweet cherries, they remind me of summer. We usually just eat them right from the tree.
That’s the next best way of eating them, Sophie, from the tree. I passed the tree earlier and it’s full of green ones. Can’t wait for the ripe ones.
Yum! Your photos are making my mouth water for some delicious cherries! My grandmother used to have a cherry tree in her front yard and I loved to visit when she was busy freezing the cherries and making homemade jam. Great memory- thanks for the reminder. 🙂
You’re welcome, Tonya. That’s such a beautiful memory. I’m glad my post helped you to remember.
how do they compare in taste to marichinos?
these photos are incredible. most cherries sold in Mexico are imported from the USA and marichino type.
Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment, Steve. I’m glad you like the photos. Unfortunately, it’s hard to do an accurate comparison as I’ve never had fresh Maraschino cherries. These have a little tartness whereas Maraschinos are uniformly sweet from the sugar that’s added during the preservation process. We have Maraschinos here as well — I have a bottle in the fridge right now.
I’m looking forward to our cherry season which hopefully will be here within a month or so.
Super! What kind of cherries do you have there?
looks like an apple. 🙂 Never seen any less tasted it but they look yummy. .)
Yes, they’re very yummy, a bit smaller than an apple though.
Thanks for your comment.
Nice shots of the cherries – not a fruit I eat much except atop a sundae
Thanks, Eileen. These might be a bit too tart for a sundae though.
I haven’t had cherry juice before, but if I can make a glass with fresh cherries, would definitely do so. It looks delicious–and healthy too!
Hope you get to try it one of these days, Aleah. It’s definitely delicious and healthy!
Beautiful photos and interesting information, Marcia. I’m not sure that I should have read this before breakfast though – I’m craving cherries now!
Sorry, Lisa. I know exactly what you mean. Hope you had something delicious for breakfast that satisfied your craving for cherries.
I love this featureabout our cherries. I love the drink and the taste is so exceptionally refreshing on a hot day . The images are beautiful!!!!Wow!
Thanks, Tamika. And thanks for the cherry drink — it was indeed very delicious and refreshing. Glad you like the photos.
YUM! Your last picture with the juice and cherries is great! I\’m not sure I\’ve ever had Jamaican cherries while in the Philippines but would love to try one. I wonder if they taste the same as the ones here in the US. Their color looks more like the sweeter Rainier cherries. How wonderful that those flowers are decorative and medicinal.
Glad you like the photo. I got it when I did a tour of an eco-tourism site I’ll be writing about later. I was offered something to drink and it was cherry juice. I couldn’t resist. I told the property owner that I had a post ready to go on cherries so she kindly set up the shot.
I’ve only ever had Maraschinos in the US and they’re preserved so it’s difficult to know how they really taste. I’ll have to look for Rainier cherries next time I’m there to see if they are similar in taste.
Delightful. As far as I know we do not have these in Australia. Boo Hoo 🙁
Oh, sorry to hear that, Jan. I thought it would probably be there, especially since you have so many other tropical fruits there.
It looks so very similar to the cherries we get here in India. Though our cherries have just a single seed inside. They are one of my favorites, so very delicious!
PS – Marcia, I am hosting a contest giveaway on my blog, do check it out 🙂
They could be. From what I’ve read, they did make it to India. You’re right, they are very delicious.
Thanks for the info on your contest. I’ll check it out.
Fresh cherry juice is my absolute favorite!
There’s just nothing like it, is there?
Thanks for stopping by, Diana.
Hi Marcia, it must be a great time to visit Jamaica right now with the glorious mangoes and heavenly cherries in season.
Yes, it is, Marisol. We have several fruits that are in season now which is great especially at breakfast and snack time.
Do you have to beat the birds to the cherries. We had a big cherry tree in Boulder but the robins would usually clean it off before we could get to it.
And where is Boulder? Maybe one day I will cook a recipe with Jamaican and Sicilian cherries.
Yes, absolutely! There are usually some half eaten ones that they leave but we still get a good amount of fruit.