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?

I’ve been stabbed in the back by a fury fiend.

Last month, I saved two baby squirrels. How does the St. Louis Park squirrel population thank me? Sends one of its members to chomp down MY NORTH STAR PIE CHERRY TREE!

Why? Why!? WHY!!? The squirrels have full access to my compost bin! Why would they snap a tiny tree half?

This was the first year it flowered. It was full of tiny green fruits. A foot high stump is all that is left.

Thanks a lot, pal.

Our unusually cool weather may mark the end of our summer growing season, but there are some advantages to an early fall.

Sweet, sour and crisp — Apple season is here with promises of pies, cobblers and sauce. You can fire up the oven without overheating the house, fill the kitchen with the scents of cinnamon, nutmeg or cardamom — then devour the leftovers for breakfast. Yum!

The farmers markets already offer a good selection of early varieties. Favorites like Honeycrisps, Honeygolds and Haralsons aren’t too far behind!

So, how do you celebrate apple season? With delicious dumplings? Perfect pies? Are you into apple picking, cider pressing or just ol’ fashioned apple eating?

Last year at this time, I was eating juicy peaches off the tree I planted in the backyard. This year? Not a single peach. I’d feel a bit bad about that, except my pear tree is bearing fruit for the first time. That has me almost as excited as I was last year.

The pear I picked today is teeny, but beautifully shaped and blushed with red. I haven’t eaten it yet because I think I remember that pears are supposed to finish ripening off the tree. However, I don’t know how long said ripening will take. Anybody else grow pears or know what’s the real deal? I’d appreciate your advice.

I’d also be very curious what kinds of pears you’re growing, and how you’ve fared. I know there are some choices for zone 4, and mine have done decently well. But I’m always looking (especially at sales this time of year) to add another possibility.

Also, if you grow peaches, have you experienced  this biennial fruiting tendency? Or is there some other reason for the lack of fruit (I’m fairly certain, it’s not a lack of pollination — the peach trees are within 30 feet of the bee yard).

Any other fruit tree fans want to weigh in with a progress report? Mulberries? Paw paws? Persimmons?  Okay….apples?

Eleven months out of the year, our crab apple is the most unremarkable tree on the block. But in May — sweet, beautiful May — our crab apple is the belle of the block.

Petite pink buds sprout from the branches, then explode into crisp, white blooms. During the day, bees, drunk with nectar, fly in clumsy circles from blossom to blossom. At night, the rich perfume from the blossoms fills our bedroom.

I had to take a photo to remind me of the tree’s beauty. By the end of May, the blossoms will fall and form brown, sticky mats in the lawn, greedy little suckers will grow from the base of the trunk, and the boyfriend will curse as he mows over the shallow roots.