Sour cherry

What it is

Sour cherry, also called tart cherry, is Prunus cerasus, a close relative of the sweet cherry. The round fruit is usually less than 2.5 cm (1 in) across, with red to burgundy skin and a single hard pit. The cherries are smaller and softer than sweet cherries.

Montmorency is the main tart cherry variety grown in the United States. Balaton is firmer and sweeter than Montmorency, with a sweet-tart taste.

Where it comes from

The tree comes from southwestern Asia and Europe and belongs to the rose family. Michigan is America's largest tart-cherry grower, with Utah another producing state. Hungary's Balaton reached the United States in 1984. North Star and Meteor are cold-hardy pie cherries developed in Minnesota.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Iran, albaloo polo layers sour cherries through saffron rice with little lamb or beef meatballs. The cherries cook briefly with sugar before steaming with the rice; some of their juice goes into the layers, too. Pistachios and almonds finish the dish.

Hungary's meggyleves is a chilled sour-cherry soup. The cherries simmer with sugar and spices such as cinnamon and cloves, then sour cream and flour thicken the liquid. It arrives as a starter to a summer meal, with the fruit's acidity running through the sweet, creamy soup.

How it's grown

Sour-cherry trees tolerate colder winters than sweet cherries. A single tree can bear fruit using its own pollen. North Star stays about 2.1–3 m (7–10 ft) tall, and the Minnesota pie-cherry varieties often begin fruiting in their first or second year.

At a pick-your-own orchard, ripe sour cherries come away easily: the juicy fruit almost falls into your hand.

When and where you'll find it

The US harvest usually runs from June through mid-August; in Vermont, the fresh season usually begins around early July. Pick-your-own orchards and farmers' markets are places to find fresh fruit there.

About 99% of the American crop goes for processing, into frozen cherries, canned pie filling, juice or dried fruit. These are the forms most of the harvest travels in. Fresh sour cherries are especially perishable: refrigerate them promptly and wash them just before use.