Out of the long list of different types of cherries, sour cherries are the ones given the littlest amount of attention. This is understandable when it comes to eating sour cherries raw, but they have significant uses in the kitchen. Morello cherries are one type of sour cherry that is so tart most people can’t bear to eat them plain. For this reason, Morello cherries make excellent jams and fillings. In fact, they are even better than sweet cherries as fillings because they often lose a great deal of their taste when exposed to high temperatures for cooking.
If you’re interested in growing your own cherries, Morello cherries could work out well for you. The Morello cherry tree requires moist soil and is self-pollinating. This means all you need is one tree to grow more. On top of that, sour cherries like Morello attract fewer pests than sweet cherries do. However, birds still love Morello cherries, so you’ll have to watch out.
Sweet cherries like Rainier cherries may be more popular than Morello cherries due to taste, but Morello cherries are healthier. Tart cherries contain less sugar than sweet ones, which is always a good thing in this sugar-saturated world. In addition, tart cherries have high levels of anthocyanins, flavonols, phenolic acids, and phytochemicals. These antioxidants can improve heart functioning, immune systems, and blood pressure. Studies have even recently proven that tart cherries can help with sleep cycles. Individuals who consumed more tart cherry juice had increased melatonin levels, which helped regulate their sleep cycles.
