Sour Cherries

[roxlet]

The season here is all too brief, and I have read with jealousy how frozen sour cherries are routinely available in the mid-west. Has anyone seen frozen sour cherries at any store in the greater Westchester area? Hell, I might even go to Manhattan! On the Home Cooking board, there was mention that they are sometimes seen in ethnic markets.

[chowdom]

Please let me know if you find them. Last time I went to trader joes to pick up tart cherry juice there wasn't any on the shelves. I was told they probably wouldn't be restocking it this year due to the reason stated below.

http://www.businessinsider.com/97-percent-of-michigans-tart-cherries-were-destroyed-by-freak-weather-2012-7

I picked up a jar of sour cherries in syrup at Yaranush today out of desperation.

good luck

EDIT:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/853551

[roxlet]

In the past, I've ordered canned sour cherries (not in syrup) from a producer in the midwest...

[chowdom]

thx, I picked up a Greek brand in a jar. They were very good but a bit too sweet. They worked quite well however with some really excellent gouda I had gotten at Dante's. What is the consistency of the canned cherries like?

[roxlet]

They were fine, and worked quite well in the pie I was making. They were like any fruit packed in water, really. It just baffles me that I can get blood orange juice from Italy, but no sour cherries from the midwest!

[chowdom]

I found tart cherry juice at Fairway tonight (imported from Turkey) I tried to ask a couple of the produce guys about the fruit itself but they totally ignored me.

[JMF]

That was a good article you linked to. I never knew about Michigan and sour cherries, or the weather this spring that ruined the crop.

Hmmm... I wonder if my friends sour cherry tree in her front yard in Maine is producing this year? I know it produces really well every other year, and hardly anything in the off year. I still have several jars of sour cherry preserves that I made a few years ago last time I was there during a good year. I harvested around 50 lbs. that time. Besides making several cases of preserves I made cherry liquer and vodka, and both regular pies and a ton of small fried pies.

[roxlet]

I got, and froze, some sour cherries from the Bronxville Farmer's market. It was a very short season. I have a Queen Anne cherry tree in my yard, and it actually produced for the first time in about 8 years.

[chowdom]

Glad to hear that Roxlet...Sour cherry pie is the only pie I like and a decent one is hard to find during a good season. JMF I'm interested to know what your friend's tree produced this season.
The cherry juice I picked up at Fairway last night is extraordinary. http://www.elitenaturel.com/index.php...

[roxlet]

And what do you use the sour cherry juice for? Is it for drinking or some other application?

[chowdom]

I drink it for its anti- inflammatory properites but would drink it regardless because like cherry pie, cherry juice is the only juice I like. I also often add it to pan gravy when making pork chops, duck...

[sbp]

Don't know the cost at Fairway, but you can pick up sour cherry juice at most Turkish kebab joints.

[chowdom]

Thank you I had no idea. At home I drink unflitered no sugar added. If given a choice of a soda or cherry juice while out, I'd have a cherry juice.