SAMS Our mid to late season black cherry, Sams extends our season. The tree is a heavy bearer, with grape-like clusters of fruit. CAVALIERS Our early to mid-season black sweet cherry, Cavalier is a terrific black sweet cherry with medium to large fruit. This is our favorite u-pick variety. ULSTER Ulster, a later cherry, is very sweet and firm. It is a cross between the varieties Schmidt and Lambert. According to Bob, a cherry connoiseur in the Torch Lake area, it is northern Michigan's best cherry. More and more research is demonstrating the extraordinary health benefits of tart cherries. MONTMORENCY The traditional cooking cherry, once picked it needs to be pitted and frozen or canned within 24 hours. This job is made easy now that we have a large commercial pitter. Customers are able to pick the cherries and have them washed and pitted right here at the farm in just minutes, making them ready to throw in the freezer for spectacular cherry desserts this winter. Nothing tastes more homemade than a dessert with these cherries, and now they are so easy to use. We also have tart cherry juice concentrate, dried tart cherris, and canned tart cherries in water available. BALATONS This is an old variety from Hungary, where it is called Ujfehertoi Furtos. It is a recent introduction to Michigan, where it shows promise. They ripen a week later than Montmorency, with larger, firmer fruit. Watch for these this summer in the fruitstand. We hope to be able to fresh-fruit this variety and sell it in quarts, as it is much more durable than the typical tart cherry. EMPEROR FRANCIS An old favorite for fans of light sweet cherries, this variety is a nice yellow cherry with a bright red side. RAINIER A large yellow cherry with a red blush, Rainier is an offspring of the Bing. Developed in Washington state, these cherries have a sweet and delicate flavor. GOLD We grow these yellow medium-sized cherries for the commercial market. This is the variety that becomes the Maraschino cherries you buy at the store.