Posted: June 29th, 2011
Turn sour cherries into sweet deal
Don't judge a fruit by its moniker: Sour cherries make the best pies.
To the uninitiated (which included me until recently) sour cherries (also called “tart cherries”) sound almost inedible. Little did I know that I’ve probably had them, loved them and didn’t know it.
From what I can tell, sour cherries’ main job is to fill pies. Raw, they’ll pucker you up, but after cooking and adding sugar, they’re mellow and piquant. Sweet cherries don’t hold as much flavor when baked, but that doesn’t mean Bings are bad. They’ll work in pies as well. Just not as well as tart ones.
Local cherries are just coming into season. The dark purple ones you’ll see are Bing cherries, for eating out of hand, in salads and anywhere else you can use them raw. The darker they are, the better they’ll taste, usually.
Sour cherries are candy apple red and a little harder to find. But if you like cherry pie, keep looking.
Here’s a fresh cherry pie recipe from “Joy of Cooking.” If you have advice for dealing with cherries, feel free to drop a line.
FRESH CHERRY PIE
Pie crust for a double crust pie
5 cups (2 to 2 1/2 pounds) pitted cherries, sour or Bing
1 1/4 cups sugar for sour cherries, 3/4 cup for Bing cherries
3 to 3 1/2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca or cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract, optional
2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1. Line a 9-inch pie pan with one crust. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat to 425 degrees.
2. Combine in a bowl and let stand for 15 minutes: cherries, sugar, tapioca or cornstarch, water, lemon juice and almond extract, if using.
3. Pour the mixture into the bottom crust and dot with butter pieces.
4. Cover the filling with the top crust and cut several vent holes.
5. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes. Slide a baking sheet under the pie and bake at 350 25 to 30 minutes, or until crust is golden and the filling is bubbling.
Posted in: Uncategorized
really enjoy your blog. very, very informative. where do you pick the tart, sour cherries? great for arthritis. also interested in the diabetic and vegan books. my husband has heart blockages, so trying to change the way I cook. also are the strawberries still able to be picked .. thanks for your time. e
As for tart cherries, my 2010 farmers list says you can pick them at Buccholz Fruit Farms, 11627 E. Middle Road North East;
Mobilia Fruit Farms, 12073 E. Main Road, North East;
Sceiford Farms, 240 Dewey Road, North East
You can buy them at
Burch Farms and Country Market, corner of Sidehill and Moorheadville Road, North East
Finnell Farms, 7840 Buffalo Road, Harborcreek; and
Orton’s Fruit Market Rt. 89 and I-90 North East;
I think the strawberries are just about done. I’ve heard heavy rain did them in this year.