Q&A for How to Freeze Cherries

Commercial cherry pitters can be purchased from kitchenware suppliers. For pitting without a pitter, a good method that costs little and with a bit of practice becomes easy, is to use a plastic straw. Twist the straw into the cherry from the stem end while holding onto the cherry gently but firmly. Continue twisting to force the pit to pop out. The straw hole will cling to the pit, easing it out. See more instructions for pitting ideas, with images, at: How to Pit a Cherry .

Yes, you certainly can. The first method (Method 1) outlined above in this article explains just how you can freeze fresh cherries successfully. Be sure to select fresh cherries that are ripe but not overripe and in excellent condition without blemishes for the purposes of freezing.

Definitely keep your cherries refrigerated when not eating them; room temperature can cause cherries to start losing their freshness within an hour or two! Keep them wrapped inside a plastic bag and store in an area of the refrigerator where they won’t be squashed or crowded. Only wash cherries when you’re ready to eat them, as washing prior to storage can hasten spoilage.

Yes, it is fine to freeze dried cherries. Just be sure to place them into appropriate freezer bags or airtight containers and seal tightly before placing in the freezer. If the freezer bag is not heavy duty, double bag the cherries, as this helps to keep them free from odors and in good shape when thawed. If frozen, dried cherries will remain in great condition for up to 18 months, and can still be eaten past that date although they may not taste as good as when consumed earlier. This is a good way to store cherries if you have pantry pests getting into dried fruits in the warmer months.

Remove the pits from the cherries (if wished). Arrange the pitted tart cherries on trays lined with parchment paper. Place each tray flat into the freezer to freeze; this can take up to 12 hours, so leave overnight. The next day, remove the trays and transfer the cherries to resealable freezer bags or freezer containers and place back into the freezer. Always date and mark frozen foods; cherries will be good frozen for 12 to 18 months.

After thawing, cherries do tend to the mushier side (a reason for pitting them pre-freezing, it's just a lot easier to handle fresh cherries) and if you have used blemished cherries, these will likely be very mushy when removed from the freezer; this is why it is important to use cherries in great condition for freezing. If you want to eat frozen cherries before they soften too much, wait only about 10 minutes of thawing after removing from the freezer, then enjoy them as a cold, slightly icy snack; great for a summertime treat!

This depends on how many cherries you are freezing, the temperature of your freezer and other factors. Generally, they should be somewhat frozen in one to two hours (nice for a snack) but they can take up to 12 hours to freeze through solidly, depending on their size and variety.

As long as they were kept frozen the entire time and the packaging has not been punctured, they should be fine. If they are dry in some spots or discolored, they will have an altered texture and taste.

Defrosted frozen cherries would be great in a pie or crumble. You could make cherry compote. If you blend frozen cherries with whipped cream, you get instant cherry ice cream! Thawed cherries would work in any recipe that uses cherries, unless the recipe specifies fresh cherries. A couple of fresh cherries make a good garnish; thawed-out cherries do not, unfortunately.

If they are properly stored, they could keep indefinitely. However, they will be at their best during the first 12 to 18 months of freezing. If they have freezer burn (from improper storage), they will no longer be good to eat and should be composted or otherwise discarded.