Sour cherry tree
A post from June 2007 re the backyard cherry tree.
No sour grapes here, even though heavy spring rains and winds flattened the cherry blossoms and discouraged the bees that usually pollinate this tree.
As a result there are about one-third or less of the usual amount of cherries this year. I decided not to pick them but to leave them for the birds, and for those eager backyard squirrels - gymnasts who hang upside down and adopt fasicinating postures to get at the fruit.
The tree is a Montmorency sour cherry, I believe, which is self pollinating, though when I bought the tree it was labeled a McKinley cherry tree. I was told that it needed another tree of the same kind for pollination. The tree has fruited every year, so either there is a similiar tree in the neighborhood or the tree really is a Montmorency.
In the past I have been creative with the cherries - have stewed the fruit with lots of sugar, removed the seeds, and made a cherry syrup to put in sangria, make a cherry drink, or pour over ice cream. I have also pitted the fruit and cooked them down in sugar to make filling for a traditional pie. So has my neighbor, who exchanges tomatoes from his garden for a bowl of our sour cherries!
Wonder how well the tree will blossom in spring 2009 after a harsh winter? And will there be enough bees to ensure a full covering of cherries?
No sour grapes here, even though heavy spring rains and winds flattened the cherry blossoms and discouraged the bees that usually pollinate this tree. As a result there are about one-third or less of the usual amount of cherries this year. I decided not to pick them but to leave them for the birds, and for those eager backyard squirrels - gymnasts who hang upside down and adopt fasicinating postures to get at the fruit.
The tree is a Montmorency sour cherry, I believe, which is self pollinating, though when I bought the tree it was labeled a McKinley cherry tree. I was told that it needed another tree of the same kind for pollination. The tree has fruited every year, so either there is a similiar tree in the neighborhood or the tree really is a Montmorency.
In the past I have been creative with the cherries - have stewed the fruit with lots of sugar, removed the seeds, and made a cherry syrup to put in sangria, make a cherry drink, or pour over ice cream. I have also pitted the fruit and cooked them down in sugar to make filling for a traditional pie. So has my neighbor, who exchanges tomatoes from his garden for a bowl of our sour cherries!
Wonder how well the tree will blossom in spring 2009 after a harsh winter? And will there be enough bees to ensure a full covering of cherries?
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