Very Cherry Recipes

We've had quite a cherry harvest this year! We have two trees that provided us with thousands of big juicy Rainier and Bing cherries. They gave us plenty of opportunities to do all sorts of great things. Here are a few of the ideas that we tried this year to preserve and enjoy these tasty gems.

Sun Dried Cherries

Sun dried cherries make a great addition to salads, cookies, biscotti, even pizza! Solstice Wood Fire Cafe in Hood River, OR makes an award winning pizza with Country Girl Cherries, chorizo sausage, goat cheese and a sprinkle of rosemary and thyme that's really outrageous.

Rinse the cherries and remove the stones. Cut them in half, then place them on a sheet pan cut side up in the sun. Cover them with clean screen to keep the bugs away and let them dry naturally. I dried these for about 4 hours, then when the sun went down, I placed them in the oven overnight for safe keeping. (No heat) The next day, I set them out for another 6 hours or so. It was about 90 degrees outside and the cherries dried beautifully. After bringing them in and letting them cool to about 70 degrees, I put them in airtight plastic containers. They will keep for a few weeks until I use them all up.

Cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients for the crust using a processor, pastry blender or 2 knives.

Pour the crumbles into a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

Spread evenly and press into pan firmly.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Slice the fruit and mix in the rest of the filling ingredients.

Add all of the topping ingredients to a processor or blender and process until it forms small crumbs.

Top the crust with the filling and sprinkle on the topping evenly.

Turn up the heat in the oven to 400 degrees and bake for 25-35 minutes.

Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes and serve warm or allow it to cool completely and serve at room temperature.

It will seem very loose and bubbly when it comes out of the oven but will firm up as it cools.

Delicious gooey filling with a delicate almond coconut topping.

Top with whipped cream or ice cream if you like.

Freezing Cherries

After they are frozen you can put them into freezer bags and keep them for up to 18 months. They won't have the same texture as fresh but they will be wonderful in recipes, pies, pastries sauces, you name it.

They are also great to eat frozen right out of the bag or to add to a cherry themed cocktail. They will even help keep your drink chilled!

My husband loves to use these straight out of the bag on his morning granola. Looking for another great recipe? Try Mike's Mad Good Granola.

I also want to keep some cherries for much longer so I set lots of them up to freeze.

Rinse the cherries and remove the pits with a cherry pitter. Toss them into reusable foil pans or onto sheet pans and freeze them in a single layer so they stay separated.

We tried a few other methods for removing the stones and found that if you are processing this many cherries, an actual cherry pitting tool is necessary. Otherwise it's just too time consuming.

Making Fruit Leather

I think what our kids like best is the Cherry Fruit Leather, also well known as Fruit Roll Ups. Keep in mind these kids are adults now. It's not just for children you know!

I used to make strawberry fruit roll ups with my Grandma years ago so I thought we should try this with our cherries. It's fabulous! I cook pitted cherries with just a touch of water and little sugar for about 10 minutes then puree them in the blender. Spread the puree out on a sheet pan lined with plastic wrap and let it sun dry. Cut it into strips and enjoy!