How to Pit and Freeze Sour Pie Cherries for Easy Use
Preserve cherries the easy way! Here's how to pit and freeze sour cherries for long term storage.
Freezing cherries is a wonderful way to quickly put up fruit, so you can use them in baking and home canning later on in the year.
In my kitchen, I like preserving produce when it's in season. It doesn't matter if I grow it, forage it, glean it or buy it from locals. We don't yet have our own orchard, so when cherry season hits and these little stone fruits start appearing at local fruit stands, I like to stock up for the year.
When I buy local cherries, I like to stuff them into jars and preserve them in a honey syrup. I also freeze them, so I can pull them out later in the year to make desserts, jams and even traditional homemade vinegars.
But I count it an extra bonus when I can get my hands on sour pie cherries.
Because I love 'em!
Sour cherries are the best!
But sometimes, they can be hard for me to find, even while living in a northern community that is known for its cherry orchards!
While the sour cherry tree is much tougher than a sweet cherry tree, sour pie cherries are far more fragile. This makes them difficult to harvest and ship across the country.
And from all I can tell, sour cherries are best suited to a backyard or homestead orchard, where fresh, tart cherries can go directly from the tree to the preserving kitchen.
When we finally have the pleasure of putting in a small home orchard, I hope to plant several sour cherry trees.
Because I love sour cherry pie!
Until then, we'll keep sourcing these tart little fruits locally and pop them into the freezer for later!
Tools You'll Need
- colander
- large sheet pan (or any rimmed baking sheet)
- parchment paper
- tweezers (or a large hairpin)
- freezer bags or containers
How to Pit and Freeze Sour Pie Cherries
Step 1: Rinse Cherries in Colander Under Cold Water
If you have your own cherry trees or went cherry picking at a local orchard, you can probably skip this step.
But if you do want to wash ripe cherries, place them in a colander and quickly run cold water over them. Sour cherries are more fragile than sweet cherries, and shouldn't be left to soak.
Step 2: Pit Your Fresh Cherries
If you have a cherry pitter, you can use it for sour cherries. If not, you can use the back end of tweezers for scooping out the pits.
To do this, hold a cherry with the stem end facing upward.
Use the back of your tweezers like a spoon, and scoop out the bright yellow pit. I like to toss cherry pits into a small bowl as I go.
Note: my little Mennonite grandma always used the end of an old style hair barrette for this. Anything that is small and flat will work!
Step 3: Freeze Your Cherries
The Easiest Way to Freeze Sour Cherries
To freeze fruit the easy way, measure several cups of cherries into a freezer bag or container.
Because of the juices, fruit will freeze in a solid block. This method is great if you have a lot of cherries to freeze, and plan to use them in baking or preserving recipes.
But I really like to flash freeze sour cherries, so they're easy to remove from the bag in smaller portions (for making smoothies or adding a few to porridge).
How to Freeze Sour Cherries for Easy Use
To flash freeze sour cherries, you'll need a rimmed baking sheet or tray (or several).
Sour cherries are very juicy, so go ahead and line the baking sheet with parchment paper (or even wax paper), to prevent sticking.
Spread pitted cherries out in a single layer and freeze until solid.
Frozen cherries should be lifted and placed into freezer bags (or an airtight container).
Best Freezer Containers for Sour Cherries
There are lots of different freezer-safe containers you can use for sour cherries. I confess that when I'm putting up fresh fruit, I really like good old resealable freezer bags! The plastic is thick, and zip lock bags are easy to open and close again.
Freezer Life of Sour Pie Cherries
No one wants to put up fruit, only to lose it to freezer burn!
As a general rule of thumb, cherries will last at least 6 months in the freezer. Ice crystals may form on your sour cherries during this time, and that's ok.
So long as they're stored in a good, airtight container, and as long as your freezer stays cold, you'll probably get more than 6 months out of your sour cherries!
How to Use Frozen Sour Pie Cherries
Raw Cherries
Frozen cherries can be snacked on as they are, or you can add them to morning smoothies or homemade breakfast porridge in raw form.
Sour Cherries in Baking
You can throw frozen cherries right into a pot, then sweeten, thicken and bake whatever you please with them!
Sour pie cherries make a delicious fruit sauce for topping vanilla ice cream, cakes and the like. Then there's cherry crisp. And don't forget sour cherry pie!
Sour Cherries in Home Canning
If you plan to make jam with sour cherries, cook frozen fruit in a pot until it's warm throughout. This accomplished, measure out fruit as per the recipe and carry on. It's very easy!
