Balaton Tart Cherries

There are two main types of cherries: sweet and sour. At Cherry Bay Orchards, we mainly use tart cherries in our products because of their unique flavor and the fact that they grow well in Northern Michigan. Along with our tart Montmorency cherry concentrate, we offer dried Balaton cherries either slightly sweetened or coated in chocolate. Like all our Michigan cherry products, our Balaton dried cherries are made from quality tart cherries grown in our own backyard.

While Cherry Bay Orchards continues to grow and offer Balaton cherries from our Northern Michigan orchards, its beginnings in the United States go back to 1984, when Dr. Amy Iezzoni first introduced the flavorful fruit to the country. As a Professor of Horticulture at Michigan State University, Dr. Iezzoni is credited with its introduction with help from the Cherry Marketing Institute, the Institute of Hungary, Michigan State University, and the USDA.

Balaton Tart Cherries vs. Montmorency

Named for a lake in Hungary, the Balaton cherry differs from the Montmorency in that it has a burgundy color with a sweet, tart taste, whereas the Montmorency has a bright, ruby color with a tart taste supported by an acidic background. Despite these differences, both are considered to properly be tart cherries.

Like the Old Mission Peninsula that divides the Grand Traverse Bay into two bays, there are two groups of tart cherries: morello and amarelle. Montmorency cherries fall into the amarelle cherries because of its red skin and white flesh. Balaton cherries, on the other hand, are grouped under the morello group because both the skin and firm flesh contain red pigments.

Michigan Balaton Cherries

Balaton tart cherries thrive in Northern Michigan because our long winters help buds to grow and the wind off Lake Michigan helps the land stay cool even throughout the summer. Cherry Bay Orchards is pleased to offer our dried Balaton cherries year round. Try some today and discover why these delicious tart cherries have been a Michigan favorite since first being introduced.