Cherries are one of those fruits that we all enjoy during spring and summer. Tasting them in several of their many forms like jams, jellies, pies, cakes, smoothies, adding them to increase the taste of some dessert, or enjoying them in one bite is part of the experience of those seasons themselves.
Despite how wonderful they are, they can perish very quickly, and when you want to get them, it is necessary to keep in mind how long you can keep them before they go bad and you lose the opportunity to delight yourself with their sweetness. Stay reading to learn how to keep them in good condition to eat.
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How to Store Cherries
The cherries that are for sale are usually ripe and ready to consume, so if you plan to eat them little by little after buying them, then you can put them on the counter. It would be best to take care that they are not directly exposed to sunlight or exposed to a source of heat.
Rinse when you intend to eat them and put them in a bowl. Moisture affects cherries by speeding up the decomposition process in the long term, so storing them after you have done so is a bad idea.
On the contrary, if the plan is to use them later or eat them during the week, then you should place them in the refrigerator so that they are kept as fresh as possible, but before doing that, remember:
Don’t pluck the stems.
Try to remove them when you go to eat them, not before that. The color and firmness of the stems help visualize if they are in good condition or not. They must have them then.
Please don’t wash them.
Keep them unwashed until you are ready to eat them. If you want to clean cherries, do it before after taking them out of the refrigerator, and before using them, the water can alter their texture, and they would not feel as fresh when eaten.
Avoid storing them near smelly things.
The vegetable drawer can efficiently fulfill the task and prevent them from sticking a taste or a scent that could change their own, ruining the possibility of enjoying eating them or using them later.
Following these steps will ensure that you can consume the cherries in an optimal fresh state for a couple of days. Remember to eat them quickly because even though these tips help increase the period you can eat them, it is still a short time. For longer periods, other measures are needed.
Can You Freeze Cherries
In the long term, the way to preserve cherries is by freezing them. Although they will not maintain their attractive freshness, they will still preserve their flavor, which will allow you to make some delicious desserts and jellies in which you can feel their entire splendor as if they were as fresh as in the beginning.
Regarding how to freeze cherries, different methods involve using sugar or syrup, but the simplest way is to do the following; once they are clean and prepared, they are placed separately on a tray and put in the freezer few hours. Once frozen, they are stored in a special cold bag or airtight container, and that’s it.
How Long Do Cherries last
You have to be aware that the fresher you have got the cherries, the longer they will last. That is the reason why cherries that have been harvested recently are more likely to last longer in better conditions than those who have spent some time waiting in a shop.
How long your cherries last depends on things like their quality, whether you’ve got them fresh enough, and whether you’ve followed the steps to preserve them properly. Assuming that all these factors are in their best terms, there are three periods of duration depending on how you store them:
2 – 3 days if you only place them on the countertop.
5 – 10 days if you put them in the fridge.
5 – 8 months if you have frozen them.
As you can see, they have several options for whatever plan you may have for cherries. There are different ways to treat them depending on what you want to do with them, and all the ways will allow you to enjoy their delicious flavor during the set dates.
How to Tell If Cherries are Bad
The way to know if the cherries have already gone bad is by observing and touching them. A cherry in good condition looks and feels different from a damaged one. It is necessary to know what the signs are to recognize them when they are seen.
The first thing to pay attention to is the stem; these are usually green, if they turn black and moldy, it is a sign that should be paid attention to, you also have to feel the fruit as such, if it is soft, it is Another indicator. Finally, the red flag that warns you that they are damaged is if they have worms.
Sources:
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