Sour Cherries Delivery or Pickup

People also call sour cherries tart cherries, dwarf cherries, or pie cherries. They're native to Europe and Southwest Asia. They're related to traditional cherries, but they're less vulnerable to pests and diseases. Sour cherries have shorter stems, and their skins are thinner. These fruits can be yellow, red, dark red, purple, or almost black. People have enjoyed sour cherries for thousands of years, and they became popular in England during the 16th century. By the 17th century, they were common in the United States as well.

Sour cherries are usually ready for harvest in summer or early fall, but you can order them through Instacart at any time of the year! Most sour cherries are sold dried, frozen, canned, or as preserves. You can buy tart cherry juice as well. They're usually a bit smaller than traditional cherries, and they should feel plump and firm.

The flesh is shiny and nearly the same color as the skin. Fresh sour cherries should have no mold, soft spots, or discolored areas, and the stems should still be attached. You can keep them in your refrigerator for up to three days. For the best flavor, use, freeze, can, or dry them immediately. 

Before you eat or prepare them, rinse your cherries in a colander. If you want to cook them or use them in salads, remove the pits with a cherry pit remover, a tool that looks a lot like a hole punch. You can also use a plastic or metal straw to pierce the skin around the stems and remove the pits.

To make dried sour cherries, spread them on a baking sheet and place them in the oven at 165 degrees Fahrenheit for four or five hours. Check them often, and turn them over when needed. When they're done, they should resemble raisins. You can use them in cereal, yogurt, oatmeal, cookies, muffins, and fruit or green salads. They make a great snack by themselves, or you can serve them as part of a fruit and cheese plate. To make sour cherries sweeter, cover them with applesauce or sugar before cooking.  

For great cherry pie filling, combine 3 cups of sour cherries, 1/4 cup of cornstarch, and 3/4 cup of sugar. For an easy crust, use 21/2 cups of flour, a pinch of salt, 3/4 cup of shortening or unsalted butter or margarine, and 7 or 8 tablespoons of water. You can make an egg wash for the crust with an egg and a tablespoon of milk. Bake it at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees for another half-hour.

Boil sour cherries with sugar and a small amount of lemon juice for about a half-hour to create a cherry syrup. You can use it in cocktails and as a topping for cakes, ice cream, and other desserts. Ginjinha is a Portuguese sour cherry liqueur. It's dark red and usually served in shot glasses or edible chocolate cups. In Belgium, beer flavored with sour cherries is popular. Sour cherries pair well with bacon, chicken, duck, vanilla, almonds, nutmeg, saffron, cream, citrus, butter, basil, anise, dark chocolate, and cinnamon. They're common ingredients in ice cream and fruitcakes.

With the convenient Instacart app, you can select your favorite sour cherries or sour cherry products in just a few minutes, and a trained Instacart shopper can take them to your office or home in as little as 2 hours! You also can pick up your order curbside at a nearby store. Instacart lets you save precious time by taking care of your shopping for you.