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.
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.
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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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!
Canning Cherries
Canning in extra light syrup makes them so refreshing! You can store then for a long time and make all kinds of wonderful things but they are simply delicious cold from the refrigerator on a hot summer's day.
To learn more about canning cherries, visit The National Center for Home Food Preservation.
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Home canning is very rewarding but strict attention to detail is important to prevent spoilage that could lead to serious illness. You can learn all about how to preserve cherries like these on their website.
Rainier Cherry Puff Pastry Pie
I made this fun puff pastry pie first. I cooked some of the Rainier Cherries after removing the pits with just a few tablespoons of water, a little sugar and cornstarch. In 10 minutes I had a delicious pie filling.
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With a rolling pin, I rolled out a sheet of store bought frozen puff pastry that I had thawed big enough so that I could cut it into a circle to fit my pie plate. I pressed it gently into the plate, then filled it with the Rainier Pie filling that had cooled.
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I really didn't want to waste the scraps I had cut from the puff pastry sheet so I made some little pin wheels with them and baked them separately, placing them on the top after baking the puff pastry pie.
Rainier Cherry Pie
To make this pie, I used some of the Rainier Cherries I had canned earlier. I used store bought refrigerator pie crust to save some time since I've been especially busy lately and it turned out great!
Harvesting Cherries can definitely be a lot of work but we are loving it! I hope You've found some great ideas here for using cherries and I'd love to hear what you're doing with yours.
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Happy Cherry Season!
~Melisa
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Very Cherry Recipes
For Sun Dried Cherries
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 let them dry. After bringing them in letting them cool to about 70 degrees, put them in airtight plastic containers. They will keep for a few weeks.
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For Frozen Cherries
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. After they are frozen you can put them into freezer bags and keep them for up to 18 months.
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For Fruit Leather
Fresh Cherries, rinsed, pits removed
sugar to taste
3 tablespoons water to every 4 quarts of cherries
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Cook the cherries with the water and 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!
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For the Pie Filling
5-6 cups cherries cooked uncovered on the stove top for 10 minutes with 3 tablespoons water and 4 tablespoons sugar or use cherries canned in extra light syrup.
1/3-1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
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For the Pastry Crusts
I cheated and bought frozen puff pastry sheets and refrigerator pie crusts.
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Method for a Rainier or Bing Cherry Puff Pastry Pie
With a rolling pin, roll out a sheet of puff pastry and cut it into a circle to fit a pie plate then fill it with cooled cherry pie filling. Bake according to the directions on your puff pastry box.
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I really didn't want to waste the scraps I had cut from the puff pastry sheet so I made some little pin wheels with them and baked them separately, placing them on the top after baking the puff pastry pie.
Method for a Rainier or Bing Cherry Pie
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Mix together the ingredients for the pie filling listed above.
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Roll out a piece of refrigerated pie crust and fit it in the pie plate. Don't forget to trim the edges. Save them wrapped in plastic wrap for a little later.
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Roll out the second sheet of pie crust and lay it across the pie folding the edges under the bottom crust to seal. Score the pie decoratively to let steam escape as it bakes. Crimp the sealed edges using your fingers.
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Prepare a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper to place on the rack beneath the pie to catch drips if the pie leaks.
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Bake the pie in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes then cover the edges of the pie with foil to prevent over browning. Add any decorative pieces you make from the scraps of dough you saved and continue to bake for another 25 minutes.
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Cool at least 45 minutes or completely before serving.