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When you know how to freeze fresh cherries you can enjoy the beloved fruit of Door County, Wisconsin all year long! This method works for any fresh cherry – tart or sweet. So, when they’re in peak season, pick to your heart’s content and save until you’re ready to use.
Follow these simple steps to ensure you properly store your fresh cherries to enjoy them in your favorite dessert recipes in the depths of a Midwestern winter.
If you find your fridge overflowing with fresh Wisconsin produce you can also read my posts for how to freeze mulberries, freezing rhubarb, and freezing fresh cranberries.
Door County Cherries
Cherry season is a big deal in Wisconsin! Particularly, Door County, Wisconsin. That’s the little county that sticks up like a thumb on the right side of the state, between Green Bay and Lake Michigan. Every year, from July to August, the orchards are lousy with cherries up there.
There’s nothing like going on a pick-your-own adventure and then using the sweet little rubies to make cherry compote or mix up a batch of cherry bounce to put up until the winter.
But what if you can’t possibly use all the ones you pick? Read on for all my tips and tricks to saving fresh cherries!
Cleaning the Cherries
Pour the cherries into a strainer and give them a generous rinse, tossing them gently to ensure every cherry is properly washed. Allow the excess water to drain for a few minutes before continuing.
Pitting Cherries
Unless you’re eating them fresh, you’re likely going to want to make sure your cherries are pitted before freezing. No one wants to bake a pie and bite into a pit, after all!
There are all sorts of DIY contraptions you can make to pit cherries quickly and easily, but honestly, I just bought a handy-dandy tool and it makes the process go so smoothly. (As a bonus it can be used to pit olives, too.)
Freezing Fresh, Pitted Cherries
Once the cherries are cleaned and pitted, spread them out onto a towel-lined rimmed baking sheet. The towel will absorb any excess water and the rimmed baking sheet will keep the cherries from rolling off.
If you’re worried about staining you can use paper towel in place of the tea towel.
It’s important to use a baking sheet that is big enough so all the cherries can lay in a single layer and aren’t touching too much. This will ensure even freezing and help prevent sticking.
It takes about 4 hours for the cherries to freeze solid. I like to leave the tray in the freezer overnight, though.
Flash freezing the fruit this way helps to prevent them from getting all smooshed together and forming on giant, squashed rock of cherry mess later on down the road.
Storing Frozen Cherries
Once the flash freezing is complete and the cherries are frozen solid, transfer the fruit to a freezer-safe zip-top bag. Label with the contents, the weight, and the date it is being frozen.
A properly labeled bag ensures that no mystery items wind up at the back of the freezer and that you know exactly how much you’re using and when it was initially stored.
These frozen cherries can be stored for up to one year and can be used as you would fresh cherries in so many recipes!
How to Freeze Fresh Cherries
Equipment
- Colander
- Cherry Pitter (or chopstick)
- Clean Kitchen Towel (or paper towels)
- Rimmed Baking Sheet
- Freezer-safe zip-top bags
- Tape
- Sharpie or Pen
Ingredients
- Fresh Cherries
Instructions
- Place cherries in a colander and thoroughly wash with cool water. Take care to gently run your fingers through the cherries, picking out and discarding any that are bad (they’ll be discolored and squishy – yuck).
- After rinsing, allow cherries to drain excess water for a few minutes.
- Using a cherry pitter or a chopstick, pit the cherries and discard the pits, placing the pitted cherries in a separate bowl.
- Pour the rinsed and drained cherries onto a rimmed baking sheet that has been lined with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.
- Ensure the fruit is in an even, single layer and place the baking sheet flat in the freezer for at least four hours, or overnight, or until the cherries have frozen solid. This is a process referred to as flash freezing.
- Transfer the flash-frozen cherries to a freezer-safe zip-top bag, labeling it with the contents, weight, and date of storage.
- Frozen cherries can be kept for up to one year and can be used just as fresh cherries in most recipes!
Notes
- Nutrition facts calculated based on 1 pound of frozen cherries as 1 serving.
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