Sweet juicy cherries are in season, OMG they taste so good. In previous posts, we have covered how to grow cherry trees from seeds, as well as how to freeze fresh cherries. Well today I decided to try something new, which is dehydrating cherries.
You will need to pull out the food dehydrator for this one. If you do not have your own cherry tree, you can always visit a local farmers market or raid a family member’s tree. Just make sure your cherries are juicy and ripe, that is all I ask.
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Here’s What You’ll Need:
- fresh cherries
- food dehydrator
- cherry pitter
- mason jars
- knife (optional)
- food saver (optional)
It is a very good idea to wash and dry your cherries with a kitchen towel before you begin this process. Then you are going to need a lot of patience and little hands to help with pitting the cherries. Thank God, my girls love helping out in the kitchen.
Once we have all the cherries pitted, just lay them down on the trays before popping them into the food dehydrator. Dehydrate for about 48 to 72 hours at 135 degrees F. Store them in mason jars, which you can vacuum seal. For long term storage, it is recommended you first store these jars in your freezer for a couple of weeks to kill any bacteria or pests.
You can follow step by step instructions on the Self Reliant School blog, here…
How To Dehydrate Fresh Cherries
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