Virginia is actually a further drive from where I’ll be than Michigan is, but thanks for the offer! I’ve found 2 locations in Missouri and will be putting in a request on Craiglists throughout Arkansas. Things look promising.
My grandparents had 27 sour cherry trees at their place (at one time, I remember counting them, but new trees would come up and others would die) in the Texas panhandle when I was a kid. We used to pick them seems like about the first of June. We’d pick those cherries and grandma sold them for $1/gallon. Then a blight of some sort wiped them out in just a couple of years. We had pies, cobblers, preserves, juice, and fresh cherries, Oh, and wine. My dad decided to try his hand at wine making and it was pretty good for a sweet wine.
I’ve tried every canned cherry, frozen cherry, you name it and I can’t find the ones like we had. Small, sour, don’t remember them ever getting nipped by a freeze like the apricots always did. I wish I could even find out what species the things were, I’d plant 'em up.
Keep looking. The more of us who ask for them, the more farmers will be inspired to plant them. I am totally with you on eating them fresh although most people don’t like them that way.
Another alternative, if you have a yard, is to plant a tree. Sour cherries don’t grow that large and one tree will provide all you can use - for one week a year. If you plant a tree this spring, you should have cherries in a couple of years.
Good luck.
I’m going to get a couple of Montmorency Cherry trees and see if that’s the ones.
My Dad has a Montmorency cherry tree. They make absolutely incredible cherry preserves.