{"id":22622,"date":"2020-07-01T01:10:25","date_gmt":"2020-07-01T05:10:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/?p=22622"},"modified":"2020-06-26T08:57:14","modified_gmt":"2020-06-26T12:57:14","slug":"notes-from-the-apothecary-61","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2020\/07\/01\/notes-from-the-apothecary-61\/","title":{"rendered":"Notes from the Apothecary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Notes from the Apothecary: Cherries<\/b><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

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I\u2019m inspired to write about cherries because of my next door neighbour. They have a huge cherry tree that hangs over into our garden. We don\u2019t mind. In fact, we love it. Not only is it a beautiful tree, with strong, thick limbs and richly coloured bark, it encourages all kinds of wildlife. Just this afternoon, we all sat enraptured in the kitchen as a squirrel hopped around the back garden munching on the fallen cherries. They\u2019re just starting to ripen as we leave the summer solstice behind, and the windfalls attract all manner of birds and small mammals.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

There are actually over 50 types of tree that hold the name cherry, all members of the Prunus<\/i> family. The cherries you tend to find at the grocery store or supermarket are the European kind \u2013 sweet and fleshy. Some cherries that are native to North America are called chokecherries and can be very sour or bitter until they are dried. Black cherries are also native to North America and are somewhat sweeter, although not as sweet as the European \u201cWild Cherry\u201d, or Prunus avium<\/i>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The Kitchen Garden<\/b><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Growing cherries is fairly simple but you need to make sure you have space for a tree to grow. However, it\u2019s possible to keep the tree fairly small and still have it produce fruit, especially if you keep the tree in a container. Grow cherry trees in lots of organic matter and fertiliser, and add potash to increase fruit yield.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Fruit will only grow on wood that is one year old or older so don\u2019t prune your tree so heavily that it has only brand new shoots, as you won\u2019t ever get any cherries this way!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

No matter where you grow your cherry tree, you\u2019re bound to lose some fruit to the birds. They simply love them, even when they are young and under-ripe. I never mind this. It\u2019s a way of giving back to nature.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Cherries can be used in jams, jellies, pies, crumbles, and any number of desserts and fruit salads. Plus, of course, you can just eat cherries fresh from the tree! Always eat the darkest and softest fruit and never eat the stones as they are toxic.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The Apothecary<\/b><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Cherries are rich in antioxidants which help keep everything running nicely in your body and encourage your liver to do its job at cleaning your blood efficiently. Cherries also contain plenty of fiber plus a range of vitamins and minerals. Cherries help you top up our B-vitamins, which can help reduce fatigue. Interestingly, though, some people use cherries as a remedy for sleeplessness.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Mrs Grieve in her Modern Herbal (1931) stated that Prunus virginiana<\/i> (chokecherry) could be used as a sedative, an astringent tonic, and was particularly indicated in the treatment of chest complaints such as bronchitis. It\u2019s also been used in the treatment of nervous disorders.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The Witch\u2019s Kitchen<\/b><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Cherries are revered throughout the world for their stunning blossoms, luscious fruit, and hard-wearing wood which polishes up beautifully. It\u2019s no wonder, then, that so much folklore and magic surrounds this amazing tree. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Scottish folklore surrounding the bird cherry, Prunus padus<\/i>, held that it was a witch\u2019s tree, and in some places it was even known as hag berry. Burning the wood was considered extremely bad luck.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In modern witchcraft, cherry wood is a popular choice for wands. Its magical associations include:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n