The breeding of dwarf sour cherries began in the 1940's by Dr. Les Kerr. The past 50 years of breeding have combined cold hardiness, dwarf stature and good fruit quality into the final product. The cherry releases by the University of Saskatchewan are a great tasting cherry with a high sugar content. They also have very good potential for mechanical harvesting which is necessary for commercial fruit production.
- In 1999, SK Carmine Jewel was released.
- In 2004 the Dwarf Sour Cherries guide was published
- In 2004 The Romance Series of Cherries was released
Dwarf Sour Cherry Guide
Dwarf Sour Cherries: A Guide for Commercial Production is available through the U of S bookstore. Click HERE to order the book online.
Carmine Jewel
- Black Cherry
- Very high flesh to pit ratio(small pits)
- Consistently highly productive
- Few suckers
- 3.5g fruit
- Read more
'Romance' Series
In 2004, the Romance series of dwarf sour cherries was released. These include 'Juliet', 'Romeo', 'Cupid', 'Valentine', and 'Crimson Passion'.
'Juliet'-(7-21-31.0)
- Dark Red
- Fresh eating type: excellent quality
- Also good for processing
- One of the best for fresh eating flavor
- Most productive cultivar in 2009
- Moderate vigour
- Few suckers
- 5.0g fruit
- High sugar content (up to 20 brix)
- Pits are large enough for old fashioned crank pitters
- Read more
'Crimson Passion'-(7-21-16.3)
- Dark Red
- Fresh eating type: excellent quality
- Also good for processing
- Low vigour, smaller yields
- No suckers
- 6.0g fruit
- Highest sugar content (up to 22brix)
- Pits are large enough for old fashioned crank pitters
- Some dieback in 2009
'Valentine'-(7-19-27.6)
- Medium Red Fruit
- Tart pie cherry: Processing type
- Some suckering
- 4.5g fruit
- This cherry may be best for making pies with no dyes needed.
'Romeo'-(7-7-5.8)
- Dark red/black
- Very similar to Carmine Jewel, but much later
- Very flavourful. Good for fresh eating and processing
- One of the best for juice.
- One of the most productive in 2003
- Some dieback in 2009
- 4.0g fruit.
'Cupid'-(7-32-19.1)
- Black to dark red
- Most years it is the largest of all sour cherries
- 6.5g fruit
- Good balanced flavour for fresh eating
- Consistent but moderate producer
- Blooms 1 week later than other varieties earning it the nickname 'Big & Late'
- Few suckers
- Pits are large enough for old fashioned crank pitters
- Fruit too large for standard commercial sour cherry pitters
- Very different genetically from all other U of Sk sour cherry cultivars
Articles
2010
- Cherry Catch Frame by Bob Bors
- Availability of Sour Cherries in the US by Bob Bors
- Canada's Dwarf Sour Cherries Conducive to Machine Harvest
By Matt Milkovich
2009
- Mechanical Harvesting trials of 2009 by Bob Bors
- Juliet Cherry Notes by Bob Bors
- Carmine Jewel Cherry Notes by Bob Bors
- Dwarf Sour Cherry Guide by Bob Bors
2007 and older
- Hardy Sour Cherries: Choosing Varieties, Systems and Markets by Bob Bors
- Dwarf Sour Cherries for the Prairies by Bob Bors and Rick Sawatzky
- Opportunities for Cherry Production In Saskatchewan by Bob Bors