Cherries are among the most common and well-known summer fruits in the world. With a great flavor and a particularly attractive color, cherries fill the tables to refresh us and provide us with all the properties they have. They are also a fruit that we can use for drinks, cakes, as desserts, natural… And a long etcetera.
However, there are times when you can be careless and when the time comes to consume them you realize that they have spoiled and gone bad. What to do at that time? We tell you 5 tricks to know how to preserve cherries and be able to enjoy them all year round. Take note, this interests you!
5 effective tips for cherries to last longer
The first step to correctly preserve cherries is to choose them very well. To do this, you will only need to carefully check that none have imperfections or mold, whether they come packaged or if you take them by weight. In addition, you should pay special attention to their skin and its color. Those that do taste good have a firm, smooth, shiny exterior, and are not usually too soft or rough.
The intense red or burgundy color is the best indicator to choose the cherries well. And, in addition, it is recommended to pay close attention to the stem: this fruit, if it keeps the green stem and does not come loose, is usually fresher. In this way you will be avoiding that, if a moldy cherry appears, those around it will soon be too. In any case, once acquired, you must take into account the following to keep them:
1 Temperature
Cherries are usually accompanied by good weather and heat. However, this last characteristic can cause them to spoil faster, especially if they are exposed to direct sunlight. Outside the fridge they will only last 3 days, so it is best that once you have bought them, put them in the fridge to extend their duration.
2 Beware of humidity
Make sure that when you buy them they do not have moisture, whether they come in a bag or in a plastic container. Moisture will cause mold to appear and spoil sooner. For this reason, it is advisable to change them to an airtight Tupperware, making sure that they are very dry. Thus, if you find a bad cherry you will have time to eliminate it from the group. With this trick we will make them last up to two weeks.
3 Be careful if you wash them
The general advice is not to wash the cherries until they are ready to be consumed, precisely because of the humidity conditions they may have. However, many people prefer to put them in the fridge washed to make it easier to eat fruit between meals, for example. If you are one of those people, wash the cherries very well and let them dry on kitchen paper. We will get it to absorb water and moisture disappear. Later, we can store them in a kind of drainer or a kitchen utensil that has holes in its base.
4 Cook them
We know that it is not ideal because surely you want to eat the cherries fresh and raw but, as we mentioned at the beginning, cherries have great versatility and, therefore, we can cook them to preserve them better. Another of the solutions to extend its life is to make a compote to eat it in the season in which they are not typical. You will have to cook the cherries with sugar and water, and let it boil over high heat until it starts to thicken.
5 Freeze them
Cherries can be frozen without any problem. Therefore, it can be a good solution if you have a large quantity and you see that they can spoil. Ideally, freeze them spread out in a single layer, without piling one on top of the other. Before they are frozen, you can also store them in bags. The duration of frozen cherries is usually one year and, when you want to consume them, you just have to let them thaw at room temperature.