Mrs. Motter’s Vinegar Cherries

A friend of mine came across this recipe during a survey of old buildings in northern Dauphin County. The sour cherry season was at its height, and Mrs. Motter’s kitchen was cluttered with pots and pans overflowing with cherries.

The Motters refer to this pickle as Colonial Cherries. In fact, not only is the recipe older than that - it can be found in seventeenth-century German cookbooks - but it is also an easy-to-make relic of precanning, precookstove technology,