Tart or sweet, juicy cherries are a quintessential summer snack. They’re wonderful fresh or frozen used in sweet or savoury dishes.
Optimal Storage
- If unripe, store at room temperature out of the sunlight. Place in a closed paper bag to speed ripening.
- Once ripe, refrigerate in the low humidity drawer.
- Most cherries are sold already ripe, so you may want to refrigerate them immediately.
- Do not wash until ready to use. Moisture can be absorbed where the stem meets the fruit and lead to splits or spoilage.
Freezing
- Wash and dry.
- Remove pits. You can use a specialized cherry pitter, or halve the cherries with a paring knife and then pop out the pits.
- Place separated on a baking sheet and freeze. They key is to keep the cherries in a single layer so they freeze evenly and don’t freeze in clumps.
- Transfer to an airtight container.
- Use frozen cherries in smoothies, baked goods, sauces for savoury dishes, or snack on them straight from the freezer.
Root to Fruit
The stem and seeds of cherries are not edible.
Revival
Bruised
Remove bruises. The rest of the fruit can be used up.
Overripe
As cherries ripen, they may soften and become less appealing to eat raw. The overripe cherries are excellent to use in baking, smoothies, sauces, preserves, and savoury dishes.