CherryAid

A
The bark and stems of wild cherries has an odour of almonds

C
The volatile oil of wild cherries contains a small quantity of cyanide.

Charles V of France loved cherries so much, he planted more than 1000 trees in his garden

Cherry blossom and the cuckoo appear at the same time. Apparently the cuckoo had to have three good meals of ripe cherries before it stops calling. Work that one out - it means you could hear the cuckoo right through to July.

D
Cherry Dreams
Ripe cherries off the tree mean success and happiness
Eating cherries means possession of something desired
A cherry tree is an omen of good fortune

F
Apparently cherries are a symbol of fertility. The owner of a cherry tree was supposed to have a rich crop if the first cherry was eaten by a woman who had recently given birth to her first child.

H
The nickname 'Cherrypickers' is still given to the British 11th Hussars. During the Peninsular War, in 1811, ten soldiers from the regiment were so engrossed in picking and eating cherries  that they failed to spot an advancing cavalry detachment. They were captured by the French, hands and mouths still sticky. 

J
In Japan, the cherry symbolises the brevity of life. The saying goes ‘The cherry is among flowers as the samurai is among men’.

Very Cherry was the most popular flavour of Jelly Belly Jelly Beans for two decades until 1998, when Buttered Popcorn moved into first place. However in 2003, Very Cherry moved back into the top position, though by a mere 8 million beans.

K
The name for cherry liqueur - Kirsch - comes from the Mesopotamian karshu, the word for the first cultivated cherries in Mesopotamia in 8BC.


L
Cherry Lore
If they blow in April
You’ll have your fill.
But if in May
They’ll go away.
(This means that if the winds blow in April, there will be cherries; if it blows in May - you're scuppered)

Lipsticks
Cherry Quartz by Clinique
Black Cherry by Elizabeth Arden
Crystal Cherry by Estée Lauder
Black Cherry by Estée Lauder
Cherry Tart Lip Stain by Revlon
Cherry Desirable by Revlon

P
In the 17th century, cherries were preserved more or less in suspended animation by 'hanging them under bell jars standing in pans of water.'

A posh pudding in country houses a couple of centuries ago was to have small cherry trees grown in pots and brought to the table with the fruit still hanging on the branch.

S
Hot cherry stones were used in bed pans to warm beds.

Shakespeare used cherries as a symbol of love and romance in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

V
A symbol for virginity, losing your cherry is slang for being 'deflowered'