How to Preserve Sour Cherries in Simple Syrup

Most cherry varieties, including sour cherries, store well in a simple syrup made with water and sugar. Tart varieties, such as North Star, Morello and Montmorency are excellent choices for storing. Because tart cherries are fairly inexpensive during the growing season, it's a good idea to buy them at the peak of freshness and store them at home in the freezer. Sour cherries are generally reserved for cooking, however, if stored in syrup, they can be eaten as is.

Things You'll Need

• Paring knife
• Cherry pitter
• Quart plastic containers with lids
• Table sugar
• Medium sauce pan and spoon

Instructions

1. Rinse and drain the cherries and chill them in a bowl in the refrigerator. Select sour cherries with good color that are firm, but not hard. Dispose of any fruit that is overripe or bruised.

2. Remove the stems and the pits. Make a slit in each fruit and dig the pit out with the tip of a sharp paring knife. Use a cherry pitter for larger batches. Place the cherries in a bowl as they are pitted, then rinse and drain them until dry.

3. Prepare a simple syrup. Mix two parts water to one part table sugar in a medium sauce pan. Heat the mixture on the stove over medium heat until all of the sugar is dissolved. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.

4. Fill a 1 qt. plastic container with pitted cherries. Pour enough syrup into the container to completely cover the cherries. Leave about 1/2 inch of room between the cherries and syrup and the top of the container.

5. Place a lid tightly on the container. Tap the container on the counter lightly several times to release any air bubbles trapped in the syrup. Label the container appropriately. Store the container in the coldest part of the freezer.

References

• Michigan State University: Food Preservation Series, Cherries
• New Mexico State University Extension: Freezing Fruit Basics
• Tony Tantillo, The Fresh Grocer: Cherries