Purchased when they first were available, paid a whopping $50 for it at a local nursery based on all the hype about it being a semi-sweet zone 4 cherry (I've had three other cherry trees that eventually did not survive the spring freeze/thaw cycles where I live). It has done very well, has no insect or disease issues, is a beautiful tree just loaded with fruit every year. BUT the fruit is disgusting. It is not at all sweet, has no cherry flavor, is mostly a sour taste. I've tried cooking with the cherries, and nothing I've made tastes good. I've tried giving the cherries away but everyone who tastes them thinks they are awful, just as I do, and no one wants them. I garden for food and have an edible, permaculture, forest garden landscape. Given my gardening style, it is difficult to justify keeping this tree. I am not interested in attracting any more birds. But the thought of cutting down a tree that cost so much to buy and from which I've gotten nothing to eat is rather sad. Anyone have any ideas how to get a better flavored fruit or what I can do with the gallons of fruit it produces every year?
Bali cherry tree
How very peculiar. We've grown 'Evans' which is the original name for this sour cherry (sold as 'Bali' in the US for some reason; note that it is a sour cherry, not a sweet, eating cherry) for many years. It produces excellent, large tasty fruit for pies and jam, and is palatable out-of-hand for those who don't mind a little bit of tartness. I've never heard of such a complaint, and it is quite commonly grown around here.
For each pie, for ~4 cups of fruit, I use 1.5 cups of sugar (1/2 cup more than I'd use for apple pie, for instance). I don't make jam myself, but my sisters and mom do, and it is superb.
Out of curiosity, how much sugar would you typically use for one pie, just as a point for comparison?
Post a Reply to this Thread
More Beginner Gardening Threads
-
Help my lettuce
started by deliah
last post by deliahOct 31, 20231Oct 31, 2023 -
Question on back of seed packet
started by meerkat51
last post by meerkat51Mar 30, 20241Mar 30, 2024 -
Hosta ID
started by jtinaann
last post by jtinaannMay 29, 20241May 29, 2024 -
Help with plant ID
started by Jmbras
last post by JmbrasAug 20, 20240Aug 20, 2024