The real cherries

Sour cherries – those are the real cherries! Where I come from, sweet cherries are even known by a different name- “chereshnya” (черешня). There is nothing wrong with them, they are delicious, but the word “sweet” describes them fully and in my opinion, there’s not much you can do with them besides eating.

Sour cherries are totally different. Biting into each fruit- what we call “vishnya,” is thrilling. The cherries burst in your mouth – juicy, fragrant, full of flavor both sweet and tart. You can sprinkle them with a little sugar if eating them raw feels too sour. But their flavor absolutely shines in cooking. And you can do so many things with them:

• Bake them into pies and tartlets
• Fill crepes or blintzes with cherries
• What Russians call “pirozhki” (not to be confused with “pierogi”)- tiny baked dumplings filled with fresh cherries
• Jams and preserves (that to me is also a waste of such a great fruit, but I think it’s one of the most fragrant jams)
• Cherry kompot is the most flavorful and refreshing
• Alcohol concoction (I wouldn’t waste cherry for that )
• And another very Russian specialty – “vareniki”, but that is for the most special events

Sour cherries can be hard to find here in the US, but are very popular in Eastern and Northern Europe. I’ve seen small containers in supermarkets only a couple of times within the last 20 years marked with some ridiculous price tag. The reason is probably the climate not being cold enough, and the fruit requiring hand harvesting and careful transportation, as the sour cherry’s skin is very delicate.

But if you can find a farm that offers a pick-your-own experience within a reasonable distance – it is a treat! After an hour spent under green branches heavy with ripe, bright and dark red fruits, you will be rewarded with a full basket of the freshest cherries possible!