How to Store Tart Cherries

A lot of our customers have contacted up recently and asked how to store fresh tart cherries.

Here are some tips on storing cherries.

#1: Loosely pack the unwashed cherries in plastic bags or pour them into a shallow pan in a single layer and cover with plastic wrap to reduce bruising. Cherries bruise easily so a little TLC will go a long way to keeping them fresh.

#2: Store cherries in the refrigerator and cherries in great condition ought to last up to a week. Check the fruit occasionally and remove the tart cherries that have gone bad.

#3: Wash the fruit just before eating. You can also freeze cherries by rinsing and draining thoroughly, spreading them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet and placing in the freezer overnight. Once the cherries are frozen, transfer them to a heavy plastic bag. The frozen fruit could be kept up to a year. 

#4: Don't worry if some cherry juice leaks out into the bag, it will be fine and won't hurt the cherry.

Preparation

Most cherries bought at the marketplace are eaten raw, alone or accompanied by other fruits. Simply wash the fruit and serve with the stems.

For cooking, pit cherries either by hand or with a pitter. Poaching is the most widespread form of preparation. Drop cherries into a small amount of simmering water, or a combination of water and wine, and cook for one to three minutes until soft. Poach utilizing the formula of one cup liquid to two cups cherries.