Feature:
Sweet Cherries
Usually eaten out of hand, they are larger than sour cherries, heart-shaped with sweet firm flesh.

Sour Cherries
Normally too tart to eat raw, sour cherries are smaller than their sweet cousins, and more globular in shape with softer flesh.

Cherry selection and storage
Fruit should be clean, bright, shiny, and plump with no blemishes. Sweet cherries should have firm, but not hard flesh, while sour cherries should be medium-firm. The darker the color, the sweeter the cherry. Avoid cherries with cuts, bruises, or stale, dry stems.

Store unwashed cherries in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, and wash just before eating. Before eating fresh sweet cherries, leave them out on the counter for a few hours as the flavor is much better at room temperature. Fresh cherries should be consumed within two to four days.

You can freeze fresh cherries, but they should be pitted first, otherwise they will take on an almond flavor from the pit. Beware the juice when pitting cherries, as it will stain clothing. Freeze whole, pitted sweet cherries in 40 percent syrup (4 cups water plus 3 cups sugar) with 1/2 teaspoon ascorbic acid added per quart of liquid. They can also be pitted and frozen without liquid in plastic bags with all the air removed, and some cooks prefer to freeze separated cherries on a cookie sheet and then pack in bags for freezing.

To freeze sour cherries for pie filling, stir 3/4 cup of sugar into each quart of pitted, whole sour cherries. Pack in rigid airtight containers with 1/2-inch headspace or airtight bags. Frozen cherries will last ten to twelve months in the freezer.


Other information
The cherry is one of the world's oldest cultivated fruits, along with its cousin apricot. Cultivation dates back to 300 B.C. and its lineage dates back even farther. The common cherry tree, Prunus avium, is native to the temperate areas of eastern Europe and western Asia and is part of the Rose family. Its name comes originally from the Greek, and in Latin means of or for the birds, due to the birds' obvious love of the fruit. The English word cherry originates from the Assyrian karsu and Greek kerasos. The tree was beloved by the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans both for its beautiful flowers and its versatile fruit.

A Japanese legend tells of a brave warrior who lived to a great age, outliving friends and family. His most beloved memory was of playing beneath a cherry tree in Iyo during his youth. One summer, the tree died, which the man took as a sign that it was also his time to die. Although a new cherry tree was planted nearby, the old warrior was unconsoled. During the winter season, the old man pleaded with the dead tree to bear flowers just one more time, vowing that if his request was granted, he would give up his long life. True to his promise, he committed hara-kiri beneath the dead branches of the tree. As his blood and spirit soaked down to the roots, the tree bloomed once again in the dead of winter. Legend holds this tree in Iyo still blooms in winter every year on the anniversary of the warrior's death, though all other trees nearby lay in dormant winter state.