Now’s the time to put all those summer berries and fruits into flaky pie doughs and luscious cobblers and crisps. But one fruit is the prize of the season: the elusive sour cherry. Their season is short and they’re in the markets now at about $6 per pint. A few vendors at the Portland farmer’s market sell them, notably Uncle’s Farm from Hollis.
Sour cherries
The best is sour cherry pie, a treasure of sweet and tart. The pie is easy to make, but pitting the cherries is a chore. I have two cherry pitters, in which each pits four cherries at a time. So I can get 8 cherries done in about 30 seconds. You’ll need two to three pints, or 4 cups whole cherries. If you go to the Bed Bath & Beyond website (follow link for page) and search for cherry pitters, they offer several that pit multiple cherries at a time. Leroux Kitchen in Portland generally carries pitters, too.
