You dont want to freeze bad cherries. You can also freeze cherries and theyll last six to eight months.
Storing them this way requires you to add three cups of sugar to four cups of water and mix in ½ a teaspoon of citrus juice or ascorbic acid per quart of liquid.
How to freeze fresh cherries. The easiest way to freeze cherries is to wash them blot them dry gently with a paper towel and then arrange them on a cookie sheet. Place them in the freezer for a couple of hours. Then take and seal them in zip-loc bags and place them back in the freezer.
You can pull them out at any time to eat them. Wash cherries and remove stems. Pit cherries using a cherry pitter.
Lay flat on a baking sheet s lined with wax paper. Freeze for 24 hours or until fully frozen. Sort the cherries by removing any bruised overripe or underripe ones from the batch.
Remove the stem and give the cherries a good rinse. Dry the cherries with a clean kitchen- or paper towel as any excess moisture will cause freezer burn and unwanted textural changes on freezing. Once pitted place in a single layer on a baking sheet and flash freeze for about 1-2 hours.
When your cherries are frozen you can place them in quart or gallon-sized bags and put them back in the freezer. The purpose of the first freeze is to freeze the cherries individually. Place pitted cherries on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.
Place in the freezer until frozen completely about 1 day. Place in resealable bags or airtight container. Store for 6 months in the freezer or up to one year in a deep freeze.
If youre freezing any Rainier cherries soak them in a bowl of water and 14 cup of lemon juice for 10 minutes before straining. Rainier can oxidize brown when cut and theyre exposed to air. Add the cherries to the baking sheet and place the tray in the freezer.
If you have a big bag of cherries go through it and remove any cherries that might have gone bad. You dont want to freeze bad cherries. Wash Wash your cherries thoroughly use a colander and under running water stir your cherries carefully using your hands.
Place the tray in the freezer to freeze the cherries. Generally it takes around an hour for cherries to freeze. Once they are hard and firm transfer them into a heavy-duty freezer bag.
Squeeze out as much air as possible before storing the bag in the freezer. Some sources will tell you to lay the fresh cherries in a single layer on a big baking sheet and freeze them that way before storing in the baggies. That method is supposed to help if you are concerned about the cherries sticking together.
Ive been freezing giant. We love to enjoy our cherries fresh and frozen throughout the yearThere are six different but equally easy ways to pit cherries without a cherry pitter. After an extended period of time theres a small chance that the texture of a frozen cherry will change when compared to its fresh version so try and consume them within that 6-month window.
For that reason wed say cherries along with other soft fruits do actually freeze pretty well. How to do it. Wash dry and remove the stems and pits from the cherries.
Preheat your oven to 140F and put the cherries on a baking sheet. Bake for six to 12 hours or until theyre dry. Sweet cherries can be frozen in syrup as well.
Storing them this way requires you to add three cups of sugar to four cups of water and mix in ½ a teaspoon of citrus juice or ascorbic acid per quart of liquid. Then mix this syrup into your cherries carefully in airtight bags and freeze. Learn how to freeze cherries with this guide from wikiHow.
Freezing helps lock in the tart flavor of fresh cherries and the powerful nutrients packed inside. Our method for freezing cherries works for both sweet cherries and sour cherries and for many uses you dont need to defrost the cherries. You can also freeze cherries and theyll last six to eight months.
Pit the cherries or leave them whole then spread them on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Once the cherries are frozen place them in a bag or container. Ideal Temperatures for Post-Harvest Cherry Storage.
Sweet cherries should be stored at 30 to 31 F.