My Life as a Cherry Hoarder.....and my favorite ways to use them!

Chocolate Fountain Houston

Ok, so maybe I don't really "hoard" cherries....

but it's possible I have a "free produce acquiring problem",

and my family owns a cherry orchard....hence the annual cherry situation I get myself into. 

Yes, every summer, I seem to get in a little over my head in canning/jamming/freezing/drying cherries. 

After all, cherries are so healthy! Tons of anti-oxidants. If I ate them daily, could I eventually look 10 years younger? 

With loads of fiber and so many vitamins,

it's obvious why it always sounds like the responsible choice to "process" these free, delicious beauties!

And I'm sure it is a great idea, but the other reality is that

...today my kitchen looks like a huge cherry explosion happened,

...and I'm a little on the tired side,

...and I'm not so sure I want to eat another cherry for a couple of weeks!

...but they were basically free (besides the jar lids and the sugar/MCP jam pectin).

It will be worth it....

....or at least that is what I tell myself.

So what are some of the most beloved things a cherry hoarder like myself, does with cherries?

1. Canning 

Cornflower Blue Studio

My pros for canning:

1. They can travel with me anywhere. If I ever end up selling my house and need to move across the country, or live in a 5th wheel, or a large tent (you think I'm kidding don't you?), then I can use still use my cherries. They last for a long time canned!

2. They make great gifts (so beware if you've sent me a wedding invite this year!)

3. They can be used for many things. 

If you don't like them canned you can add them to ice cream, Greek yogurt (my favorite), and I've even drained them and used them for pie filling. 

4. They are EASY to can! My mom never pitted them for canning, and if you have kids old enough to spit the pits out, you can just stem them, wash them and shove them in jars!

More on how to can cherries HERE. 

2. Jamming

Love and Olive Oil

My pros for making jam:

1. It's healthier than store bought jam. No high-fructose corn syrup!

2.  We go through TONS of jam at our place. If I had to purchase the fruit, I'm not sure it would be cheaper to make my own jam, but since the fruit is free, it does save me some $. 

There are zillions (ok, maybe not that many, but close to it) different kinds of jam recipes out there. I use the recipe that is provided in whatever pectin box I'm using. I feel it is less-likely to fail that way. I have used MCP pectin in the past, because I have found it to be the least expensive and it has always set nicely. 

3. Freezing

Zastavki

I've really never frozen cherries like this, but it looked like such a fun idea, I had to include the picture. 

Our cherry freezing looks more like this. (below)

I usually freeze as many cherries as I have left over (from canning and jamming) into sealable sandwich baggies and gallon freezer bags. 

My pros for freezing:

1. It is (in my opinion) the  best way to keep the flavor and texture.

2. They contain less juice, so are better for baking.

3. The sandwich bags are easy to pull out for blender drinks, or ice cream, and pulling out a gallon sized freezer bag of pitted cherries makes for an easy cherry crisp or pie dessert! 

I've done this so many time for company in a pinch!

4. Drying

The Kitchen 

My pros for drying cherries:

1. They last a LONG time.

2. They are an extremely portable and healthy snack for trips.

3. They can be used in salads, baking, and other dishes.

4. They are delicious! I have to keep myself and my kids out of them, or we would eat them all in about a 3 weeks!

5. They can also be dried with or without the pits. If you leave the pits in, drying them is EASY!

6. You can also dry them in the oven, which means this takes no special equipment.

HERE is a site on oven drying cherries, although I've read using a dehydrator preserves the flavor better. 

It is what I use. 

Out of all of these ideas, our top 5 ways we use cherries are:

1. Jam

Here is a picture of our jam this year. I meant to take loads of pretty pictures, but time sort of got away from me. That's ok, Pinterest is full of them!

2. With Greek Yogurt

Pea Pie Pearl

3. Cherry Crisp

My Kitchen Addiction

I have the cherry crisp recipe memorized, which helps me quickly make it in a for dessert.

My cherry crisp recipe:

I fill a 9 x 13 pan with cherries, leaving room for topping. 

I don't add anything but cherries for the filling. Sometimes I use the blender to blend a cup or two of them, but I mostly just use pitted cherries, and that's it!

Topping: I use 4-5 cups of whole oats (depends on how much topping you like.....I like a lot!), a cup and a half of packed brown sugar and 3/4 cup of butter. Melt it in the microwave, mix it and spoon it on top of the cherries. I don't really measure it, I just dump it in a bowl. 

Heat at 375 until the cherries are bubbling and the topping is golden brown. 

Easy, simple and delicious!

4.  Smoothies

Electric Recipes

5. Gifts

Honey and Jam

The kids and I pitted ALL of our cherries. Luckily, my mom was around to help too. 

 It's a lot of work to pit them, and as far as canning, freezing, and drying go, it's not totally necessary, however, I'm always so glad I did it! I love not having to pit them, or spit pits out later, and I don't have to worry about feeding them to my one year old.

We use a pitter like the one below.

I saw some really cute newer ones on line, but you can pick something like this up at most health food stores for around $30. I like that it can clamp on a table. 

City Chef

So after 7 asparagus lugs, equaling 45 quarts of canned cherries, 14 jars of jam, around 25 sandwich bags, and 4 gallon sized bags, I'm done for this year!

 In the past I've done more, but with getting the house ready to sell, I'll call it good for now!

I'll say it with a sigh....(looking at the sticky kitchen I still need to clean and the pile of pans in my sink).... 

"Glad to be finished!"

Will you be "processing" any cherries this year? 

--Katie

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