Description
Amarena di Pescara comes from Abruzzo on Italy’s Adriatic coast and it is the fruit behind the amarena cherries served in syrup over gelata and desserts. The flavor is intense and concentrated, sweet-tart rather than flatly sour, over very dark red flesh.
That balance is what makes it unusual: most sour cherries are a cooking fruit only, and this one is genuinely good eaten off the tree as well as baked, canned, juiced or preserved. It is hardier than a sweet cherry and more forgiving about where it is planted.
Overview
- Intensely flavored, very dark red, sweet-tart fruit.
- The traditional Italian amarena cherry.
- Good fresh as well as in syrup, baking and preserves.
- Hardier and easier to site than a sweet cherry.
Growing Details
Latin Name: Prunus cerasus ‘Amarena di Pescara’
Site and Soil: 1/2 day to full day of sun; deep, well-drained soil
Hardiness: Hardy to USDA Zone 4
Rootstock: Mazzard F 12-1
Bearing Age: 2 to 3 years after planting
Size at Maturity: 12 to 15 ft tall and wide, easily maintained smaller with pruning
Ripening Time: Mid season; June into July
Pollination: Self-fertile; one tree sets a crop, and another sour or sweet-tart cherry nearby improves it
Pests & Diseases: Bacterial canker, brown rot and cherry fruit fly; summer pruning and airflow handle most of it
Additional Notes
- Grower’s Insight: Amarena in syrup is worth making once: halve and stone the fruit, cover with a heavy syrup, and keep it for the winter.
- Regional Insight: Cherries want a real winter and a dry spell at ripening; where June rain is common, airflow and a crack-resistant variety matter most.
- Explore more cherry trees in our collection: Cherry Trees
