Sour cherries have a relatively short season. I’ve never found them in a grocery store but we visited a u-pick to pick raspberries and, to my delight, discovered three rows of sour cherry trees.
Sour cherries are gems to find because although they aren’t necessarily for snacking, they make some of the best jams and baked goods around. So, even if you can’t find them at your grocers or farmers market make sure to check out some u-picks nearby. They are worth every ounce of trouble to get them.
If you don’t have a cherry pitter, no worries, I don’t either. Depending on what I’m using the cherries for I will either cut the cherry in half and remove the pit with my fingers or, if I want to use the cherries whole, I use the wavy end of a clean bobby pin to loosen the pit from the stem end and then insert the bobby pin through the other end and push the pit through. At first it may take a bit to catch on to the technique but once you’ve got it down it’s easy peasy.
Sour cherry jam was definitely on the top of my list of things to make with the cherries. But, as I was pitting them I was still having a bit of a tough time deciding how I wanted to use these precious jewels. A lot of people stay clear of sour cherries simply because they don’t know what to do with them, if you’re in that camp here are a couple of ideas to put them to good use.
1. Cherry Pie
There are so many ways to make a pie. You can make a classic double crust pie, or turn it into mini cherry pies by baking them in muffins cups, a slab pie by rolling it out and baking it on a baking sheet, or hand pies by rolling out the dough, cutting it into squares and folding them over a pocket of filling.
2. Candied Cherries
Candy some cherries and store them in the freezer. Turn them into Black Forest Ice Cream, bake them into scones, serve them over vanilla ice cream, or serve them in a trifle. Don’t forget to save the syrup and serve it over pancakes or stir it into sparkling water.
3. Baked Goods
I think sour cherries are even better in baking then sweet cherries, they add another dimension of flavor and ensure that the baked goods are not too sweet. Make a cherry crisp, clafoutis, or coffee cake.
4. Pie Filling
Make some cherry pie filling and freeze it in 1 cup portions to use in recipes other then cherry pie. Try it layered with chocolate pudding or served on puff pastry along with whipped cream. Make a cheesecake, bake it in the middle of some muffins or serve it atop pavlovas.
5. Frozen
Freeze some pitted cherries and save them for a later date. You can let them thaw and use them in any of the applications above or use them frozen in Cherry Limeade Popsicles (or Cherry Limeade Slushies), smoothies or blender ice cream.
6. Jam
Jam isn’t just for toast. Use it as a filling for doughnuts, bake them into bars or stir some into yogurt.
You can use sour cherries in pretty much any application that calls for sweet cherries (as in some of the links above), just remember that they are sour so you may need to add more sweetener.
| Sour Cherry Jam |
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- 6 cups pitted sour cherries
- 2.5 cups sugar
- Prepare a boiling water bath and 3 – 250 ml jars as per our canning basics post. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.
- Stir together cherries and sugar in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Boil rapidly for 20-40 minutes (time will depend on the size of pot, etc), until it passes the wrinkle test*.
- Remove the pot from the heat and ladle the jam into the prepared jars. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Or put into jars/tupperware and freeze for up to 6 months.
- Turn off canner, then carefully lift jars out and set on a towel on the counter to cool. Let sit 24 hours, then check that all have sealed. Label and store in a cool place.
Do you bake with sour cherries? What are your favorite ways to use them?
About Cheri
I used to live at an apartment that had several sour cherry trees out front. I baked pies and crisps with them which were quite delicious. I would have liked some sweet cherries, though, because I would have preferred to have all that easy snacking right outside my door.
How sweet! Mildly jealous of your cherry apartment
.
This blog is almost singlehandedly inspiring me to make my own jam and start canning. Thanks for another simple recipe to pin into my canning board!
Even though I am a fan of sweet cherries, I know how delicious sour cherries jam can be. I thought that making this jam is a complicated process. But it’s not
. I might give it a try. Thanks!
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I found a upick for sweet cherries this year–I can always find sour cherries nearby. I froze some unpitted, and they make a great quick icy snack. We just spit the pits (hopefully not at each other) like fresh cherries! It practically creates a party to get a bag out of the freezer!
Jen’s last post: Kids in the Kitchen: Eden’s Tomato-Corn Bisque
These make the BEST pies. I have memories from childhood where we’d go pick them and bring them home to make pies. Mmm.
i’ve never cooked with sour cherries, but you’ve inspired me to do so!
I walked by someone’s house the other day and they had a tree dripping with sour cherries in their front yard…it was SO hard to not sneak some. I definitely want to find a U-pick so I can make some jam!
our family loves fresh sour cherries, the first taste gets us all puckered up but after that, it’s only yumminess. I found a slick and quick hand pitter at Lee Valley for 10$, if you have access to that store.
Wow, I love to make this sour cherry jam. Thank you for the step by step process. I will follow your recipe.
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Delicious! Thanks for sharing the other ideas for sour cherries, too!
Mary Miller | A Passionate Plate’s last post: Spicy Dilly Beans
Sour makes some of the very best sweets, we’ve seen it for years with Lemons! I should try adding them to my morning smoothies instead of limes and seeing how that works out. Thank you
Durante’s last post: Comment on Daily Dose – 8/19/2012; Smiling by Durante
Sour cherries were very hard to get this year because we had bad weather for them, but I managed to snag some to make some jam. Yours looks beautiful.
Tracy’s last post: Corn and Summer Squash Cakes
I LOVE sour cherries! I located a baby tree just so I could plant my own as they are very hard to find here. It was so worth it!
I love it! I need to can and jar things a bit more… capture those flavors of summer to enjoy in the winter too!
Lori @ RecipeGirl’s last post: Oreo and Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Wow! I’m so jealous that you found sour cherries. I keep an eye out for them each year but haven’t come across them in Alberta yet. That jam looks amazing.. and I’d be all over making a sour cherry pie or some sort of sour cherry braided danish. Sigh. Maybe next summer
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I’m actually currently living in Alberta as well. Not sure where you are but I’ve found a couple of u-picks that have them. I got these ones from The Blooming Fields: http://www.thebloomingfields.com and they also have them at Red Lodge http://www.redlodgeupick.com They may have them somewhere else as well but those are the two I know of. Hopefully you can nab some quick before they’re gone!
Cheri’s last post: Sour Cherry Jam
Thank you so much! I’ll check out those links asap
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Yay! AB girls connecting. Love it.
Hello ladies! I had the good fortune to grow up on a farm in central AB, and a few years ago my mom planted a whole bunch of sour cherry trees (Evan cherries, I believe). They do so well in the prairies because they are very well adapted to drought–my mom says if you try to ‘baby’ them too much, they don’t like it!
Anyway, just thought I’d mention it as they’d be a great addition to any yard! I used some of the farm cherries for a pie a few weeks ago and it was amazing! I will also have to try this jam–looks so good!
That’s awesome Christine! Thanks for sharing!
Cheri’s last post: Baked Chicken Taquitos
We live in Edmonton and there are quite a few sour (Evan’s) cherry trees around. We get a big harvest every year off ours. I usually just pit and freeze them whole to use in cakes, or our favourite, Chocolate cherry smoothies for breakfast . Yummm. My kids ask for them all year. I just add some chocolate milk powder and milk to the frozen cherries and blend!
I wish it was still cherry season! I haven’t seen cherries around for a while. I’ll save this for next year.
Oh, and I’ve never actually had a sour cherry. I’m not the biggest cherry fan, so only my husband buys them, and he’s only gotten the sweet ones. Gotta try sour next year!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking’s last post: 100% Whole Grain Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Greek Yogurt Honey Chocolate Ganache
I have an entire bag of sour cherries in my freezer from a upick earlier this summer. I think I just found the best use for them – then we can enjoy them all winter long.
Amber | Bluebonnets & Brownies’s last post: Maple Cranberry Banana Bread
Oh, you’ve hit on my favorite fruit of all time! I will routinely pick 10-12 pounds of cherries when they’re in season and go to town with them. Have you ever tried them pickled? Do a sweet brine with peppercorns, cinnamon, and anise – TO DIE FOR.
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The sour cherries haven’t quite come in yet here in Washington State. When they do in a week or two, I’m buying 30# of pitted pie cherries from a local produce delivery service. Ought to last all year in the freezer and make with lots of pies, black forest cake, crumbles, and compotes. I’ll have to keep your list of culinary possibilities for them in mind.
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