Is it possible to freeze cherries

Joseph Communications uses cookies for personalization, to customize its online advertisements, and for other purposes. Learn more or change your cookie preferences. By continuing to use our service, you agree to our use of cookies. We use cookies why? You can change cookie preferences. This weekend, I set out to freeze cherries for my family, and wanted to share my process and results with you.

You can opt to freeze cherries whole, pit and all, but knowing that I would probably use the cherries right out of the freezer in a smoothie or feed them to my toddler once thawed , I chose to save time later and do this step now. If you have a cherry pitter, use it! I ended up slicing each cherry in half to make removing the pits less challenging. I cut around the pit, similar to how you might cut around an avocado pit. Step 4: Spread pitted cherries in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.

I was visiting my parents for the weekend and was able to use their freezer for this project! Otherwise, my freezer would have been too narrow to fit a wide cookie sheet. If your freezer is the same, you can skip this step and freeze the cherries in a Ziploc bag.

The time for freezing cherries will vary based on your freezer settings. For me, two cookie sheets of halved cherries took about 6 hours to freeze thoroughly. Once I confirmed that the cherries were frozen, I removed them from the cookie sheet and placed them in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag. For tips on how to freeze cherries in juice or syrup, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No.

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By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article methods. Things You'll Need. Related Articles. Article Summary. Method 1.

All rights reserved. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. Rinse the cherries with cool water. Set the fruit in a colander and place it under running water. Try to circle the colander around as you rinse, so all of the cherries can be rinsed off evenly.

Let any excess water drain out before you place the fruit in another container. This prevents the fruit from discoloring later.

Dry off the fruit with a paper towel. Use a dry sheet of paper towel to blot any excess water from the rinsing process. If you have more time on your hands, you can let the cherries air-dry on a paper towel. Take the pits out of each cherry. Use a knife to remove the pits from the cherries. Insert the tool on the stem side of the fruit, and set aside the pits as you go. To avoid making a mess, try placing the cherry on the open end of a plastic water bottle when you insert the straw.

Method 2. Set a rack on the bottom of a cookie sheet. Take a low-lying metal rack and set it at the bottom of a cookie sheet. Try to center the rack so that it remains steady whenever you transport the baking sheet. Place a sheet of parchment paper over the rack. Cut off a long piece of parchment paper and stretch it over the rack. Try and roughly match the dimensions of the cookie sheet so the rack is covered completely.

If your parchment paper container comes in a box with a cutter built in, unroll it over the baking sheet so you can measure it as you go. Take the stems out of each cherry.

Pinch the stem on the top of each fruit and twist it. Do this in a quick, fluid motion so you can remove the stems quickly and carefully. Arrange the cherries onto the parchment paper.

Place the cherries side-by-side on the tray until they fill up the entire sheet. Try not to stack the cherries on top of one another. If you have extra fruit, try laying a second piece of parchment paper on top of the first layer of cherries, then layering more fruit on top. Let the fruit freeze overnight. Leave the cherries in the freezer overnight, or for at least hours. Bag the cherries and freeze them for 6 months. Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and pour the cherries into a freezer-safe plastic bag.

Label the bag with the current date, and place the bag back in the freezer. For maximum freshness, try to use the cherries within a half year.