Cherries are so expensive! If you're lucky, you can get fresh cherries that are sweet and juicy. However, for me, I haven't come across any yet. Perhaps in the summertime. So I've used frozen cherries which are already pitted. You can also use can or jar cherries that have been canned in their own juice or syrup. I do find the frozen and canned cherries have much more flavor and juiciness than the fresh and are way cheaper too!