Like many others around the country, I too, get really excited for cherry season. Honestly, it’s hard not to. But every year, I go through a series of emotions I’m sure some of you go through as well.
- Excitement – It’s cherry season! This year, I’m actually going to make some delicious desserts with these cherries (like this one) AND I’m not going to just eat them all in one day (even though they have a ton of health benefits).
- Anticipation – Ok, just a couple more days and I will finally see those beautiful, red, juicy delicious jewels sparkling in the produce department.
- The Purchase – Oh my, yes. I got them. They are sitting in my cart and I can actually feel my mouth salivating a bit. I hope I get these home safely… Uh-oh, I just had a terrible thought. What if I drop them in the parking lot? Or what if I eat them all before I get home and my husband gets upset? Maybe I should buy two bags… Just. In. Case.
- More Anticipation – This is probably the longest car ride of my life. I feel like everyone is going slow on purpose.
- Relief – Phew, I made it home. And the cherries are all ok. I was able to make it safely out of that jungle they call a parking lot, the cherries didn’t spill all over my car and I was able to keep my hands off of them until my husband and I could enjoy them together. It’s going to be a great evening.
- Indulgence followed by pure bliss – These are the best cherries I have ever had in my entire life. How do I live without these for 9 months of the year?
- Pain followed by a little bit of regret – I ate too fast and now my stomach hurts and I’m bloated.
- [Time has passed] A smidge of disappointment – They’re gone. How did that happen? *Writes on grocery list: more cherries.
Now that you understand my emotional roller coaster a little better, it’s easy to understand why I decided to write this post: I need preservation in my life. Preserving uncooked cherries is super simple and I was able to whip up this recipe really easily. The great thing about preserving cherries is that it’s a quick way to save some of summer’s best fruit and still be able to enjoy it once it’s out of season.
With that, I hope you can enjoy this preservation recipe like I did! And if you have any cool tips and tricks up your sleeves about preserving cherries, let us know in the comments.
Preserving Uncooked Cherries
Ingredients
- 2 lbs sweet cherries, pitted and halved
- 4 cups water
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups sugar
- 1 quart sized mason jar
This simple recipe will allow you to enjoy your favorite sweet cherries even after cherry season comes to and end.
Rate this recipe:
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Instructions
- Pit and stem all the cherries.
- Stuff as many cherries as you can into a warm, quart sized mason jar, leaving about an half-inch of room at the top of the jar (cherries/water will expand once frozen.)
- Bring the water and sugar to a boil and stir continuously until sugar dissolves.
- Gently pour the hot water-sugar mix over the cherries, also leaving a half-inch of room at the top.
- Seal tightly and store in the fridge. Use within one month.
Notes:
- If you freeze the preserves, they will last about a year.
- After they sit for long periods of time, they will be very sweet.
- Since sweet cherries are already sweet, use caution when adding sugar.
- These will last for about a month.
Nutritional Information
Per Serving
- Calories: 200g
- Protein Content: 1g
- Carbohydrate Content: 52g
- Fiber Content: 1g
- Sodium Content: 5mg
- Sugar Content: 50g
(32 votes, average: 3.78 out of 5)
