by Nathan Rao

They are good supposedly for jetlag and arthritis, come in more than 1,000 varieties, and have a history deeply rooted in Kent.
And at this time of year cherries can be found in fruit shops, supermarkets, on sale at the side of the road, and tucked away from the beaten track in orchards that have been cultivated for almost 500 years.
These shiny red berries are probably not the first things that spring to mind when you think of the Garden of England but it was in Kent that Henry VIII’s fruiterer first planted cherry orchards in 1533.
And to celebrate cherry growing in the county, Produced in Kent – which aims to raise the profile of Kentish produce – has produced a walkers’ trail through the Kentish cherry orchards.
The trail – Cherry Ripe – was launched on Friday and some 20 walkers were the first to take the walk fwhich starts at Doddington.
It is the latest Kent trail devised by Produced in Kent and has been produced with he help of Pippa Palmar from the Mid Kent Downs Project who led the first walk for its launch.
The leaflets which give a map of the route, background to highlights along the way and a history of everything you would want to know about cherries are available from libraries and other public services. The trail can also be down loaded on line.
For a full feature see this week's Times Guardian.

Visit www.producedinkent.co.uk for details on the trail.