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Sour cherries

Posted on June 22nd, 2009 – 10:02 AM
By Jaime Chismar

There’s a tasty treat waiting for me in my front yard, a handful of tiny tart cherries from my North Star cherry tree.

Last year, I bought three cherry trees. One I gave to my best friend as a house warming gift. One the squirrels bit in half. But, this one is all mine!

Why tart cherries?

My yard isn’t big enough for many fruit tress. I needed something small. At first, I wanted to plant a couple Haralson apple trees. I’m a big fan of homemade apple crisp, but I am not a big fan of apple maggots.

Sometimes, it’s best to let our farmers handle the crops that need a lot of space and a lot of resources. Minnesota is a huge apple producing state. Haralsons, Sweet Sixteens and Honey Crisps are easy to find in the fall. I like to save my yard for plants that are hard to find or do not transport well from the farmers markets. A cherry tree seemed like a good fit.

There are many varieties of cherry. Generally speaking, the ones you get at the grocery store are sweet cherries. They are great for fresh eating. Sweet cherries thrive in Michigan, but cannot survive our harsh Minnesota winters. We can only grow tart cherries here. Most folks find them too sour for fresh eating, but they are excellent for baking, canning and wine making.

With my small handful of cherries, jam and booze are out of the question for this growing season. Should I make a simple compote and serve it over vanilla ice cream? Make two tiny cherry crisps in a ramekin? Eat them fresh with a little sugar? How do you like your sour cherries?

This entry was posted on Monday, June 22nd, 2009 at 10:02 am and is filed under Apples, Plums + Tree fruits. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

90 Responses to "Sour cherries"

sparklegirl says:

June 22nd, 2009 at 10:30 am

Oo, my mouth is watering just *thinking* about sour cherry compote on ice cream!

Margaret says:

June 22nd, 2009 at 12:24 pm

There are three problems with cherries of any sort (I grew up with the cherry tree in the back yard). Cherry maggots, aggressive birds and the streaks of red and white (with pits) left behind by the birds.

Jaime Chismar says:

June 22nd, 2009 at 1:14 pm

Cherry maggots? Wow! I learn something new every day on this blog!
http://www.canr.msu.edu/vanburen/fcfly.htm

Dan says:

June 22nd, 2009 at 1:41 pm

Just because you won’t have enough to make wine doesn’t mean booze is not out of the question.

To make a small amount last a long time, you have to go with cherry liquer. Put a cup or two of whole cherries (stems and all) in a bottle with hard liquor (vodka or brandy) and a cup or two of sugar. Let them sit for at least a month before serving. You can be enjoying your cherries long after summer is gone.

WildBlue says:

June 22nd, 2009 at 2:03 pm

We make little two person pies and freeze them unbaked. Then bake them during the winter. MMMMmmmmm. This year our two trees are loaded and at this point look maggot free.

Lynn says:

June 22nd, 2009 at 2:13 pm

Jaime — Do you have apple trees?
My Cortland apple tree already has tiny apples on it.
Last fall worms and insects destroyed the apples before they were ripe for picking. Do I need to treat the tree/apples with something to prevent it from happening again this year???

Geoff says:

June 22nd, 2009 at 2:14 pm

I’m still waiting for the mad scientists of America to genetically engineer a zone 4 lemon tree. And if they ever get sugar cane to thrive up here in place of cattails, I’m going to make so much rum it’s not even funny.

p.s. Please don’t tell the BATF though…

p.p.s. You can probably take your cherries and convert a couple of liters of Captain Morgan’s Silver to Sailor Jerry’s too. A noticeable upgrade if you ask me. But Dan is on the right track. In February, alcohol is far more valuable than fruit-based carbohydrates.

Geoff says:

June 22nd, 2009 at 2:17 pm

Lynn, you have about 1 more week to treat your trees. Better to do it now than wait any longer, especially since you’ve had issues in the past.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG1007.html

J. says:

June 22nd, 2009 at 2:39 pm

I have more trouble with ants than anything, but some tree wrap low on the trunk with a band of tanglefoot usually keeps them from ‘harvesting’.

I have two North Stars, and they’re particularly good candied. I think this is the recipe I used last time (it scales down well.)

http://www.cooksrecipes.com/candy/candied-cherries-recipe.html

I prefer to strain the cherries again after the final step (the syrup is delicious - save for ice cream or whatnot) and toss them in a container with an overabundance of sugar to coat. They’ll keep as long as they last.

Maria says:

June 22nd, 2009 at 2:41 pm

My neighbor has 4 trees, and I’ve used them to make sour-cherry jam. It’s the best EVER. Last year we missed the harvest. Trying to plan better this year …

Terry says:

June 22nd, 2009 at 3:03 pm

We have a Meteor Cherry tree in out front yard. Two years ago I picked a pickle bucket full of cherries from it. We still have some jelly left from that batch. This year with all this rain it looks like a banner year for cherries.

I let the birds eat some and still have plenty.

Marie says:

June 22nd, 2009 at 3:03 pm

I grew up in eastern Wisconsin where there are lots of cherry trees, and I love them fresh. But you might try a Flemish Belgium pie with cherry filling and a whipped cream topping. Or try mixing your cherries with blueberries for a Minnesota/Wisonsin hybrid pie. Whatever you do, don’t forget to add a little almond extract.

Jaime Chismar says:

June 22nd, 2009 at 3:20 pm

Dan, Geoff and J -

I am so down with cherry liquor! Great suggestion.

The candied cherries look fantastic, too.

All this talk of jam makes me want to plant another tree!

Mark says:

June 22nd, 2009 at 4:01 pm

Lynn,
The bugs enter the fruit when they are at the blossom stage. I have used a mixture of 1 cup sugar, 1 cup apple cider vinegar and 1 over ripe banana peel. I mix that in a 1 gallon milk jug with about a 2 inch round hole cut in the side. Hang that in the tree when the blossoms start to appear (usually around May 12-15) and your apples will have a lot fewer bugs. You can remove the jug when the apples begin to appear. I have done this the last 4 years with great success.

Lynn says:

June 22nd, 2009 at 4:31 pm

Thanks Mark - I might try it now even though i’m a little late..

Lynn says:

June 22nd, 2009 at 4:31 pm

Thanks Mark - I might try it now even though i’m a little late..

Rowland says:

June 22nd, 2009 at 4:40 pm

Geoff - How about a Zone 4 banana? Granted it produces inedible fruit and you need to corner the mulch market in the fall (3 foot pile needed) but the claim is it will grow here

http://www.logees.com/prodinfo.asp?number=R1974-4

Jaime Chismar says:

June 22nd, 2009 at 4:46 pm

I want a zone 4 mango to go with that zone 4 lime.

peter says:

June 22nd, 2009 at 5:27 pm

We have had a North Star Cherry Tree for almost 15 years and we have never had cherry maggots. Bird,Squirrel and chipmunk problems, but never maggots.

Phillip Cobb says:

June 23rd, 2009 at 12:36 pm

I have a sour cherry tree that is a very old tree, Each year we harvest about 10 gallons of meat after removing the stones. I do have a question that I need to Know about ASAP since I am harvesting as we speak/write.
If I only pull the fruit and not the stem, does it hurt the growth production of next years fruit? In the past few years that has been the way I have harvested……………….. I told a friend about that and he said I should being doing the twist and pull the stem with the fruit method. First, I do my cooking process the same day of picking so not to loose one cherry if possible. I freeze 2 cups at a time in freezer bags. I stacked them in the freezer on each other an use as I go. I am also looking for a better stoner so I can do a better job of getting those nasty little stones. I am using a Chop-Rite # 16 Stoner and a old Interprise #16 Stone, Both of them don’t do a bad job but I still get about 10-15 every 2 cups…………………………
This past year I broke a crown on one ! ! ! Please Contact me ASAP if you have info on these questions
Thank You
Phillip
wiredawg13@gmail.com
(304) 653-8509

Auntie K says:

June 24th, 2009 at 6:05 am

Hi Jaime, I just saw a recipe for Sour Cherry Crumb Cakes in the July issue of Martha Stewart Living. I don’t know if you have enough cherries, but the recipe sounded yummy.

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/sour-cherry-crumb-cakes?autonomy_kw=sour%20cherry&rsc=header_1

Molly says:

June 26th, 2009 at 10:11 am

Does anyone know where one can go and pick sour cherries in Minnesota?
Thank you,
Molly

Jaime Chismar says:

June 26th, 2009 at 1:15 pm

Thanks Auntie K! This looks marvy.

Eliza Rose says:

June 26th, 2009 at 3:43 pm

The sour cherries are disappearing like the rest of the fruit (saskatoons, red currants, and gooseberries); just as they begin to turn the right color, the birds pick them off. Cardinals seem to prefer the gooseberries and the robins prefer the red currants. Every time - they pick the almost ripe berry, and leave the green ones. Next year I’ll try netting on the cherry trees.

GrandmaJ says:

June 27th, 2009 at 4:03 pm

Mark’s suggestion about vinegar, etc. We have 5 acres of precious fruit trees, we do the weekly care of this spot for an elderly owner, AND we do the ice cream buckets of vinegar, water and sugar. Hang it up and it ’sucks’ the bugs to the bucket. We use white vinegar–its what I buy for being green in the house!

Dan says:

June 29th, 2009 at 10:55 pm

Repeat of an earlier question: how do people keep birds from eating the cherries? Netting? Soda cans and pie plates that flash?

Lori says:

July 13th, 2009 at 10:57 am

I have tons! What do I do and how do I store them? Picking is taking forever…

Homepage says:

July 18th, 2009 at 11:36 pm

Thank you for sharing your experience. Let me see what I can do.

URL says:

July 19th, 2009 at 5:27 am

See you!