For many, cherries are simply part of summer. Depending on the variety, the crunchy fruits taste wonderfully aromatically sweet or slightly tart and sour. Unfortunately, cherries cannot be stored for long and spoil quickly. However, the shelf life can easily be extended by drying.

Dried cherries are a delicacy

preparation

Cherries that are as large as possible and have firm flesh are particularly suitable for drying. Wash them thoroughly and snap off the stem. It is also advisable to remove the core with a special destoner. Alternatively, you can cut the fruit in half and remove the stone that way.

Dry cherries in a dehydrator

  1. Arrange the fruit on the grates.
  2. Dry at 50 to 60 degrees for 18 to 24 hours.
  3. Check occasionally and rearrange irregularly dried cherries if necessary.
  4. To check if the fruit has dried completely, cut a cold cherry in half. It should feel slightly stretchy and no longer have wet patches when you squeeze it.

Dry cherries in the oven

It is also possible to dry the fruit in the oven:

  • It is important to spread the cherries out on a grid and not on a baking tray, as the air cannot circulate here.
  • Set the oven to the lowest temperature and put in the cherries.
  • Do not close the oven door completely, but stick a cooking spoon in it. As a result, the door remains open a crack and the moisture can escape.

Can you air dry cherries?

In warmer regions, cherries are often air-dried on large grates. Unfortunately, in our part of the world, this only works in very hot summers, as the high humidity causes the fruit to begin to mold or ferment before they are properly dried.

What are dried cherries good for?

Dried cherries are a healthy snack that you can eat on their own. The dried fruits also taste extremely good in muesli. They are also suitable as a fine ingredient for biscuits, muffins and other pastries.

A particular specialty is a pesto made from dried cherries:

  1. Put 75 g dried cherries and 30 g dried tomatoes in a blender.
  2. Add 40ml cherry juice, 40ml vegetable stock and 70ml water.
  3. Roast 50 g sunflower seeds and add to the dried fruits.
  4. 50 g Parmesan provide the typical salty note of the pesto.
  5. Mix everything with 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, 1 clove of garlic, some salt and pepper and 30 ml of olive oil to form a creamy pesto.

tips

If you pit the cherries before drying, you can use them when baking as an alternative to sultanas or raisins.

Category:

Vegetable garden