Sweet & Sour: Portrait of a Cherry
by Chris Bersbach

An explosion of cherry blossoms is among the earliest signs of the coming spring. The famous five-petaled flowers bloom all across Boston for an entire month once winter chills begin to rise to brisk spring temperatures. The cherry is so revered for its blossom that many cities across the country hold festivals to celebrate the bloom of these magnificent trees. Of course, the real popularity of the cherry tree comes not just from its flowers, but also from its delicious, nutritious fruit.

Cherries are common in New England, and come in many varieties, but the most obvious distinction is between sweet and sour cherries (Prunus avium and P. cerasus), which are practically different fruits in terms of both flavor and use. Sweet cherries are the type that you would usually eat fresh, although some people enjoy fresh sour cherries as well. Sweet cherries are smaller, darker, and generally ripen a bit earlier (as early as mid-June) than sour cherries (which do not ripen any earlier than late June).

Sour cherries (often called tart or pie cherries) are highly astringent and are best when used in pies or jams, since cooking mellows their flavor to the pleasant tartness favored in pastries. In addition to their great taste, sour cherries have also been shown to relieve pain and possibly even help prevent cancer. This is due to heavy concentrations of anthocyanins (an anti-inflammatory compound) and antioxidants.

From a natural history perspective, it may be interesting to note that the cherry from which modern sweet and sour cherries are descended is the chokecherry (P. virginiana), aptly named for its astringency. Chokecherries still grow naturally throughout New England, but are smaller than their cultivated cousins, have less flesh for their size, and ripen much later in the season. These characteristics make them less desirable than cultivated sour cherries, but if you gather enough of them they can still be made into a tasty jelly.

Other than eating them fresh, probably the favorite use for any type of cherries is as a pie filling. To do this, you’ll need about four cups of cherries, sugar, flour, salt, butter, and a good pie crust recipe (you can buy a pre-made crust, but it’s much better if you make it yourself). First, roll out the bottom piecrust in an eight-inch pie dish. Dot the crust with about a tablespoon of butter, and then give it a light dusting of flour and a sprinkling of sugar. Now mix four cups of pitted cherries with one to one and a half cups of sugar (depending on your taste), and pour the filling into the crust. Dust the top with flour and a dash of salt. Dot it with another tablespoon of butter and cover the whole thing with your top crust. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the top starts to brown, then let it cool for at least a half hour before serving.

We hope that this recipe gives you a warm thought for the rest of winter. Be sure to hold on to this article so that you can enjoy the beginning of summer with a fresh slice of cherry pie! See page 8 to find out where you can pick fresh cherries growing in Jamaica Plain. Call us or email admin@earthworksboston.org to request EarthWorks Urban Fruit Guide ($7.00 includes postage), which has a complete list of the orchards in Boston, Somerville and Cambridge.

– Chris Bersbach