Do you have a sour cherry in your garden and have you completely harvested it at harvest time? Now you don't know what you can do with the masses of fruit? Here are a few ideas to preserve the sour cherries.
How can you preserve sour cherries?
You can preserve sour cherries by preserving them (e.g. as jam or compote), drying, freezing or juicing them and preparing them (e.g. for wine, schnapps or liqueur). It is important to harvest the cherries when they are fully ripe and to process them as quickly as possible.
First things to note
The sour cherries should be picked when they are fully ripe and ideally without the stalks. If the cherries are picked together with the stems, the bark on the branches is quickly damaged as some of it is torn off.
Immediately after harvesting the sour cherries, you should get to work and start processing them. Sour cherries do not last long when fresh. You can also use the less visually appealing specimens.
How to preserve sour cherries
A method that older generations in particular appreciate is preserving sour cherries. They can be used to make jelly, jam and compote, among other things. Here is a recipe for jam or jam:
- Clean, stem and stone the sour cherries if necessary
- boil with a little water and (jalling) sugar
- Cook for 1 hour
- puree the mixture
- for compote: fill whole
It should be noted that you should use sterilized jars for filling. A preserving pot is ideal for this. Furthermore, the ratio between the sour cherries and the sugar should be 2:1 so that the preserve is properly preserved.
Dry and freeze sour cherries
Methods for preserving the vital substance content of sour cherries are drying and freezing. To dry the sour cherries:
- destone and halve first
- if applicable puree and spread on baking paper (fruit leather)
- Dry in the dehydrator at 35 to 50 °C for 2-3 days
Freezing is easy. It is recommended that you also pit the cherries beforehand. Then they go into a freezer bag. Later they can be turned up and used for cakes, tarts, muffins, fruit sauces or smoothies.
Juicing and preparing the sour cherries
The sour cherries can also be juiced and pasteurized or used to make wine, schnapps and liqueur. The sweet and sour varieties with dark juice are particularly suitable for this.
Tips & Tricks
Before pitting the sour cherries: Put on old clothes or an apron. Line your kitchen with newspaper and stay away from wallpaper!
