Well I only have a few cherry trees so I use a simple hand held pitter. I think the whole carmine Jewel cherry just went through the hole. I have mostly used it for White Gold as it is a mature tree and produces a few hundred cherries each year. My Juliet only produced a few, and will only produce 30 or so next year. Still a small tree.
Ever use a fork pitter, with middle tines bent into a hook? its still a PITA, but much faster than any other pitter Ive found for those cherries.
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No, never tried it. The pitter I have was a lot faster than by hand. I freeze Carmine Jewel and pit with my fingers. Messy but goes fast once cells are ruptured from freezing. They taste great, I may keep it. Carmine is finally giving a decent crop, hate to remove it. But prepping them before freezing is more desirable. Iām going to at least wait till Juliet picks up the slack.
deleted post ok?
Tell us how you really feel about gurneys marketing, lol. Next year they will probably release an apple called raz-wowza-double crunch
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https://youtu.be/LevzJ7X1A_Q
Instead of bending end tines down tho, I cut them off with dremel, could use a wire snip also prolly.
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Wowzy-yowza double delicious crunch extreme!
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But actually an Arkansas black , crazy, just adds confusion.
So if this cherry is a Valentin, who else sells it? I already have Juliette and would like a big tart cherry
I dont think valentine has been approved for sale in US yet, no one has paid the $$$ in fees to have it tested and cleared for import, unless gurneys did and renamed itā¦ As of now I think the only canadian cherries brought in legally are CJ, Romeo and Juliet?
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It is a Canadian cherry though as stated and has the scientific name that indicates a cross with Mongolian cherry just like all the other bush cherries. MSU has been importing them for about a decade now for their research facilities. It could be a cross never released or itās Valentine.
I once went over and bought a Cupid, but it died on me. I only live 16 miles from the border.
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Died? What did you do?
It was about 6 years ago. I had no place to put it but my cottage and the environment is extremely harsh. Wet, cold, no light. It never establised and died. I have a Glacier cherry tree there, had another before it. It is twice as old as my White Gold here in the city, but only 1/3 the diameter. Itās alive but barely hanging on. My daughter bought a lot there, which is Russell Island on the St Clair River. Freighterās pass there. Anyway the lot has much more light and I will be adding some trees. Mulberry, serviceberry, filberts, plus some black currants and some pluot seedlings I have growing now. It already has a tart cherry, peach and grape vines on the property. A boat hoist, shed, and power. Iām really looking forward to planting everything out in the spring. Itās a canal lot 90 x 120 feet. Lotās of room!
Steel breakwall too. She plans to build in about 3 years.
The mulberry is a grafted tree I made with Oscar, Sweet Lavender, and Wellington mulberry cultivars. If the pluots turn out to be duds, Iāll graft known cultivars unto it in the coming years. I may do so anyway. I have 6 seedlings growing from Honey Punch, Dapple Dandy and Flavor King. Not intentional crosses so pollen parents are unknown. I have others I will grow out in future years Crimson Royale, Fall Fiesta, Ebony Rose and others like Nadia and hopefully soon Candy Heart.
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Oh yeah, I remember you describing this previouslyā¦ Gonna be fun planting new area. Im going to start planting on 40 acres we purchased last fall also, right now there isnt a tree on it, except for a shelter belt along one side. Its hard to know how to lay it out really, planting large amounts of trees/bushes is a big decision and not something easily undone! I had a friend till some rows in one corner and planted a bunch of my bushes in containers there last fall. Im all for cutting down shade trees that are blocking fruitā¦ 
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Carmine Jewell are twice the size of nanking but with a very small pit. There is plenty of flesh there but if the Bush over produces, doesnāt get enough water or fertilizer etc. It impacts the size of the cherry making them half that size. They are a great juice cherry that I highly recommend for that. Since we canāt mechanically pit them that means if you want a pie you got to do it by hand. There are always small cherries on the bottoms of the Bush etc but its not an issue with a mature Bush. They donāt call looking for the best of something cherry picking for no reason!
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That is a lot of property! Sounds like fun! Iām excited although Iām not putting a lot of plants in, itās more Iām thinking 40 years down the road when Iām long gone my daughter and her kids can pick the fruit and think of me. It is sort of a legacy I wish to leave. Currently I produce so much fruit I donāt need anymore. Itās more about the legacy for me. Russell Island is a very special and unique place. No place I know of is like it. Currently Iām an old timer there, been there 54 years. So glad my daughter wants to continue on. She just closed on the property December 28th.
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my son and me have discussed buying property together. he wants lumber trees grown on half of it for his retirement and is leaving the other half for me to do what i wish. i want to grow raspberries, currants and elderberries to sell at the farmers markets. all the fruit we get up here comes from mexico! thats crazy as raspberries are like weeds here. someday when Iām gone he can take over and continue my legacy. now to find the land.
Do you use the juice for medicinal purposes as well? Iāve heard tart cherry juice is really good for gout, but also high in beneficial nutrients.
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@subdood_ky_z6b
We drink the juice all winter and it does help to sleep well and stay healthy in my opinion. Tart Cherries as you mentioned are one of the super fruits according to experts. Tart cherries though not as high in antioxidants as elderberries, blueberries, Aronia, blackberries , & acai are on the same chart and frequently compared to the best super fruits.
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Interesting. I wonder how it helps sleep. Oh, just found this article, apparently it contains some melatonin and enhances tryptophan? Also mitigates arthritic and muscle pain, and good for the brain, among other benefits.
Hopefully this year my 5ft Juliet cherry bush (3rd leaf) will provide us a few fruit. Not enough for juicing, but at least some to try out. How long did it take your CJ plants to start producing?
Really looking forward to this yearās harvests: first substantial crop of strawberries, gooseberries, blackberries, raspberries, wild plums, as well as some blueberries, apples, remote chance of some pears, tart cherries and if the weather cooperates, peaches. A lot of presumption on my part, but one can hope.
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Since I donāt have a high volume of cherries yet, I pit mine with the butt end of wooden skewer. Montmorency pits pop out so easily I sometimes donāt see them. Carmin Jewel is a little more difficult because a small bit of flesh is still attached to the pit. I have to poke the pit out, then pull the pit free. Is this normal for CJ? What about the Romance cherries?
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