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Sour Cherries

Prairie pie cherries

Bright red, tart and made for pie. Our sour cherries grow on bushes that were bred to take everything a northern prairie winter can throw at them.

  • SeasonMid July – end of August
  • FlavorTart, juicy and tangy-sweet when ripe
  • Best forPie, kuchen, jam and juice
Get to know it

What is it, anyway?

Sour cherries, also called tart or pie cherries, are a different fruit from the big sweet cherries at the grocery store. They're smaller, juicier and tangier, and they have much more flavor once you bake them.

Many cold-hardy cherries were developed at the University of Saskatchewan. They crossed sour cherries with a tough little Mongolian cherry, and the result is a bush that stays small enough to pick without a ladder and survives forty below.

When they're fully ripe and dark red, many are sweet enough to eat right off the bush. But their real calling is pie.

Tasty and good for you

Health benefits

  • Natural melatoninTart cherries naturally contain melatonin. Some studies suggest tart cherry juice may help with sleep.
  • Post-workout helperTart cherry juice has been studied for easing muscle soreness after hard exercise.
  • AnthocyaninsThat deep red color comes from antioxidants that help calm inflammation.
  • Vitamins A and CSour cherries have far more vitamin A than sweet cherries, plus a healthy dose of vitamin C.

This is general nutrition info, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about your own diet.

From our kitchen to yours

Favorite recipes

Tart Cherry Pie

The classic lattice-top pie. A tiny bit of almond extract makes the cherry flavor pop.

One 9-inch pie

You'll need

  • Pastry for a double-crust 9-inch pie
  • 4 cups pitted sour cherries
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 egg, beaten, plus coarse sugar for the top

How to make it

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F and line a pie pan with the bottom crust.
  2. Stir together the cherries, sugar, cornstarch and almond extract. Let it stand 10 minutes.
  3. Pour into the crust and dot with butter.
  4. Cut the top crust into strips and weave a lattice. Brush with egg and sprinkle with sugar.
  5. Set the pie on a baking sheet and bake 50 to 60 minutes, until the filling is bubbling in the center. Cover the edges with foil if they brown too fast.
  6. Cool at least 3 hours so the filling sets.

Tip: A cherry pitter saves a lot of time. A paper clip or a straw works in a pinch.

Cherry Kuchen

A German-Russian favorite across the Dakotas: a tender crust, sweet custard and tart cherries.

One 9-inch kuchen

You'll need

  • Crust: 1 cup flour
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup cold butter
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • Filling: 2 cups pitted sour cherries
  • Custard: 2 eggs
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • Cinnamon sugar for sprinkling

How to make it

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9-inch pie pan.
  2. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter, then stir in the egg and milk to make a soft dough.
  3. Press the dough over the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
  4. Scatter the cherries over the crust.
  5. Whisk the custard ingredients together and pour over the cherries. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
  6. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until the custard is set and just barely jiggles in the middle. Serve warm or chilled.

Tip: Swap in apricots, apples or rhubarb for a different kuchen every month of the season.

Picking & storage tips

  • Pick cherries that are deep red and come off easily. Lighter red ones are more sour.
  • Pull gently. The pit often stays on the stem, so eat or process them the same day.
  • Keep them cold and pit them within a day or two.
  • Pit before freezing. Measure 4 cups per bag and you've got a pie ready to go.
Come pick your own

Is it ready yet?

The typical season is Mid July – end of Aug, but Dakota weather likes to keep us guessing. We post what's picking, times and prices on our Facebook page first.

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