How to freeze cherries for the winter

Frozen berries can be stored up to four months.

How to prepare cherries for freezing

Rinse the cherries thoroughly under cold running water. Discard damaged specimens, remove the tails from the remaining ones. Put the berries in a colander and let the excess liquid drain.

Lay the cherries in a single layer on a paper towel and let dry thoroughly. To make the process go faster, you can gently blot it on top with a napkin.

If you plan to freeze pitted cherries, remove them with a special tool or a regular toothpick. To do this, break off its sharp tip and squeeze the stone out of the berry towards the place where the stalk was attached.

How to freeze whole cherries for the winter

This method allows you to freeze cherries with or without pits.

What you need

• Cherries;
• cutting board or tray;
• food film;
• zip-lock bags or ordinary plastic or containers with a lid.

How to do

Line a cutting board or tray with cellophane or wrap with cling film. Spread out

berries in one layer so that they do not touch each other.

Place the tray of cherries in the freezer. Freezing time depends on the temperature in the chamber. On average, this will take 2-4 hours.

Take out the frozen berries and arrange them in zip-lock bags or regular plastic bags. Press down on the bags to release excess air. Flatten them to save space in the freezer. Close the clasp or tie in a knot.

Instead of bags, you can use plastic containers with a lid.

Send the cherries to the freezer for storage.

How to freeze cherries grated with sugar

For this method, pitted cherries are suitable.

What you need

• Cherries;
• sugar;
• deep bowl;
• submersible blender;
• plastic containers.

How to do

Put the berries in a deep bowl and sprinkle with sugar. Per 1 kg cherries you will need 100-200 g of sand, although you can add more or less to your liking.

Grind the cherries and sugar with an immersion blender until pureed.

Pour the mass into plastic containers, close them with a tight lid. Send to the freezer for storage.