Tart Cherry

Tart Cherry is a variety of cherry which is sometimes called Sour cherry or Pie Cherry. Tart cherries are best known as the key ingredient in desserts and jams/marmalades. They are also delicious in main courses, salads, jams and jellies, and beverages. Tart cherries are seldom sold fresh in local grocery store. They are harvested in July and often frozen, canned, or dried for use throughout the year.

It can be purchased, too in farmer's markets. Popular varieties include the Montmorency, Morello, and Early Richmond. Montmorency is the most popular of the sour cherry varieties the U.S. and Canada providing 95% or more of the sour cherries on the market. They are harvested in July and are light to dark red. This cherry has been cultivated in the United States for more than a century. Sour cherry trees are usually smaller than sweet cherry trees. Sour cherry trees also grow in a wider range of climates. The leading U.S. states in the production of sour cherries include Michigan, New York, and Utah. Sour cherry trees will produce fruit when pollinated with their own pollen or with pollen from another sour cherry variety. The following are the varieties of Tart Cherry: 1. Balaton® Tart Cherry Botanical Name: Prunus cerasus "Balaton®" Balaton® Tart Cherry is an interesting tart cherry with more flavor and "body " than Montmorency. It is well flavored and is firmer and not as juicy as Montmorency. It makes a great dried tart cherry and is good for fresh eating and pies too. 2. Danube® Tart Cherry Botanical Name: Prunus cerasus "Danube®" Danube® Tart Cherry is a new cultivar for the United States. The fruit is medium to large, dark red, and sweeter than Montmorency. The trees are very productive. It ripens earlier than Montmorency and has red juice and flesh. It is great for eating 3. Early Richmond Tart Cherry Botanical Name: Prunus cerasus "Early Richmond" Early Richmond Tart Cherry is a medium size, juicy, bright red fruit with thin, light red skin. The trees are strong, helthy, self-pollinating heavy producers. This is the leading sour variety that ripens at lease one week prior to other pie cherries 4. English Morello Tart Cherry Botanical Name: Prunus cerasus "English Morello" English Morello is an antique tart cherry variety known for its cold hardiness and heavy cropping. Its medium size cherries have dark red flesh and juice. It is very productive and ripens about 10 days after Montmorency. 5. Evans Bali Tart Cherry Botanical Name: Prunus cerasus "Evans Bali" Evans Bali Tart cherry is one of the hardiest tart cherries to be found. It is a naturally compact, dwarfish tree that will withstand the cold north winters and produce an abundance of tart pie cherries which are bright red. 6. Jubileum® Tart Cherry Botanical Name: Prunus cerasus "Jubileum®" Jubileum® Tart Cherry is an very early maturing, dark purplish-red tart cherry variety, ripening ten days before Montmorency. It is dark fleshed and excellent to start the season. It hangs very well on the tree, just getting sweeter and sweeter. 7. Meteor Tart Cherry Botanical Name: Prunus cerasus "Meteor" Meteor is a natural genetic dwarf that will grow about half as much as other tart cherries. It produces a nice, tart, juicy, meaty pie cherry that resembles Montmorency. It is extremely hardy. It blooms and ripens a week after after Montmorency. 8. Montmorency Tart Cherry Botanical Name: Prunus cerasus "Montmorency" Grandpa's Choiceâ"¢ Montmorency Tart Cherry has long been recognized as the standard of the Tart cherry industry. The fruit is bright red, medium in size and have a clear, juicy flesh. The trees are self-fruitful, winter hardy, very productive 9. North Star Tart Cherry Botanical Name: Prunus cerasus "North Star" North Star is one of the hardiest of the tart cherries and is an excellent choice for the far north where winters really get cold. It can withstand -40F and produce an excellent crop of large, morello-type, red-fleshed, freestone fruit. 10. Surefireâ"¢ Tart Cherry Botanical Name: Prunus cerasus "Surefireâ"¢" Surefireâ"¢ Tart Cherry is relatively new to the industry. It is a late blooming tart cherry with resistance to spring frosts. The fruit is bright red, medium in size, and very tart. The trees are vigorous and productive.