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Local tastes better! We’re harvesting the best varietals all season with our local BC growers. The best quality, flavour, texture, size and expertise! From Bing to Lapin to Rainier, Save-On-Foods has your favourite.
Cherries, Cherries, Cherries!
What’s the sweetest cherry? They come in many varietals and we love them all.
Bing Cherries
- Most popular varietal grown in the Okanagan
- Extra-large in size, heart-shaped, deep maroon colour, sweet
- Excellent for eating fresh but also for jams, jellies, preserves, pies, cobblers, etc.
Lapin Cherries
- Dark ruby skin, deep red flesh, very large size
- Excellent for sweet cherry jam or jelly
- Tends to keep better than other varietals
Sweetheart Cherries
- Very late season cherry
- Unique taste, firm fruit and crunchy when bitten
- Great in cherry dessert, canned cherries, sweet cherry jam
- Good for shipping (keeps fairly well)
Staccato Cherries
- Very late season cherry – variety developed in Canada!
- Large, firm, crunchy, good tolerance to rain-induced cracking
- Heart-shaped, black skin with beautiful gloss
- Excellent eaten fresh with long shelf life
Skeena Cherries
- Large, black, and very firm with a dark red to black skin
- Strong flavour and high quality
- Excellent eaten fresh and delicious in dessert recipes
Rainier Cherries
- Known as “Princess” of cherries or “white cherries”
- Large, sweet, firm, light yellow with a red blush
- Excellent for eating fresh
Cherry picking 101
- Choose plump, bright-coloured fruits; avoid soft cherries.
- To maintain optimum flavour and texture, keep cherries chilled (we chill them right after they’re picked and they stay that way until they reach your local store).
- Take that chilling one step further and freeze some cherries to use instead of ice cubes in the beverage of your choice.
- To remove cherry stains from your hands, simply rub with a wedge of fresh lemon.
- Avoid storing cherries near strong-smelling foods.
- Avoid washing cherries until you’re ready to use them – always refrigerate!
- Freeze cherries individually on a cookie pan before putting them in a freezer bag.
The Amazing Health Benefits of Cherries
Are cherries good for us? Yes! Cherries pack quite a big nutritional punch and are one of the healthiest fruits and one of the healthiest foods overall. Remember, a bowl of cherries is a perfect summer treat, but frozen cherries, tart cherry juice and dried cherries are a great alternative. Add cherries to your morning smoothie, toss some into a salad or sprinkle onto cooked veggies.
Cherries are packed with Vitamin C.
Cherries are full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds which slow down aging and help protect against disease.
Cherries are a melatonin food source which promotes healthy sleep.
Cherries are very low on the glycemic index which means they don’t trigger spikes or crashes in blood sugar or insulin levels. This is very important when managing or preventing diabetes.
Cherries are a great source of nutrition for muscle recovery and may curb cholesterol.
Check Out Our Delicious Cherry Recipes!
BBQ Rack of Lamb with Sweet Cherries and Fresh Mint
Win the Golden Cherry!
We want you to win the Golden Cherry!
Scan your More Rewards card when you buy a bag of cherries from July 18 to 31 and you’re automatically entered into a draw for a chance to win a solid gold cherry worth approx. $1,800! Contest ends at midnight on July 31. There are 2 Golden Cherries in both B.C. and Alberta and one Golden Cherry in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Winners will be picked on August 7, 2019.
