Saskatchewan leads the way in sour cherry research as the only breeding site in Canada, said University of Saskatchewan plant sciences researcher Bob Bors.
Introduced as “Mr. Cherry” at a cherry festival seminar in Bruno, Sask. in August, he has led the wave of interest in the new fruit for the Canadian Prairies.
Dwarf sour cherry varieties developed at the university offer another crop option for orchardists, said Bors, who is also working on hazelnuts, blue honeysuckles and black currants.
“I’m a firm believer if growers are growing several different crops, they will get something every year,” he said.
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The plants are prairie hardy and the fruit is high in sugar, ideal for a range of products from jams to juice to pie fillings.
The sugar content combines with a high acid content to create a more tart taste than sweet cherries from British Columbia.
Bors has seen few disease and insect problems on the self-pollinating plants, which come into full production by year six or seven. Cherries have almost black fruit when ripe in August.
Bors noted the university has been toiling away with cherry research for more than two decades, with stock preserved by a former professor dating back 60 years.
Seven sites are propagating sour cherry stock around the province and 250 growers are growing out trees for the university in their orchards. Research is under way in Saskatoon, Bruno and at Seager Wheeler farms near Rosthern.
He said a recent two-day cherry festival that attracted 1,700 people in Bruno shows the growing interest.
Cherries are grown in Michigan, Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, but Bors said the Prairie’s plump, dark and tart cherries and smaller bushes are distinct, and would not directly compete with them.
The Carmine Jewel cherry, released recently by the university, grows to six feet and can be mechanically harvested. The university harvests cherries in the morning by shaking the trees until the fruit drops onto a tarp.
Cool, wet weather, a severe winter and a late harvest combined to make 2004 the worst year for the university’s cherries, said Bors, but he still called it “a pretty good year.” He said an August frost had little effect on the fruit harvested in late August.
In addition to developing new varieties, the university is coming up with new products and recipes for sour cherries.
Linda Matthews of the university’s domestic fruit program has developed a pie filling.
She said Saskatchewan cherries could displace some of the cherries now used in pie fillings. The vibrant colour means processors could use less food colouring.
There are also possibilities for dried fruit similar to raisins and in organic fruit markets and markets in Europe where the dark colour of the Carmine Jewel is preferred. Cherry sausage is available locally from a Saskatoon butcher.
In a presentation at the cherry festival, Dianne Olchowski, chief executive officer with Sagehill Development Corp., cautioned those getting into cherries to consider the long-term investment of time and money.
The orchards must be maintained for years before they bear fruit, she said.
Growers need to examine costs like equipment and irrigation and carefully study markets.
“There is a lot of outflow for many years in the absence of any returns,” she said.
“Much of the business planning is an educational guess.”
Sour cherry pie filling
2 lb frozen tart cherries
11/2 cups cherry juice (and water)
11/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. modified cornstarch
2 tsp. lemon juice
Thaw and drain fruit. Measure juice and water to make 11/2 cups of liquid. Place sugar, cornstarch and cherry juice into saucepan over medium head. Stir until boil. Add lemon juice, boil one minute. Add cherries and mix until boiling.
– Linda Matthews
