27 Sweet and Sour Cherry Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What can I do with a lot of cherries? ›

Overripe fruit, if it hasn't lost all of its juice, can still impart some good flavor to a sauce. Chop it into small bits (or whiz it in a blender) and add it to some chicken stock and balsamic vinegar to make a glaze or sauce for meat.

Tart cherries (scientific name Prunus cerasus) are also called sour cherries. They are best known as a key ingredient in desserts; most importantly, the cherry pie. However, tart cherries are also delicious in preserves, main courses, salads, side dishes and beverages.

According to the literature, the fruit of tart cherry contains 8.0–21.5 g/100 g fresh weight (FW) of sugars, mainly glucose, fructose and sucrose, and from 295.0 to 1742.0 mg/100 g FW of organic acids, mainly malic acid.

There is some evidence to suggest that regularly eating cherries or drinking cherry juice may benefit a person's heart health, boost sleep quality, and lower inflammation. People with specific conditions, such as high blood pressure or gout, may find them especially helpful.

The presence of water content in cherries helps in flushing out the toxins. In fact, drinking fresh cherry juice will not only keep you hydrated with its water content, but at the same time it will detoxify your body and improve metabolism.

Keep 'em cold! Cherries will spoil quickly if left out at room temperature, so you should pop them in the refrigerator immediately upon getting home from the grocery store. Once in the fridge, cherries can last for about a week.

We are often asked – Can you Freeze Cherries – yes you can!

It is not necessary to remove the pits.

Sweet cherries have better anti-inflammatory properties than their tart counterparts. They contain more considerable amounts of anthocyanin phytonutrients, a compound that gives cherries their signature red hue. This compound has been linked to reduced risks for heart disease, plaque formation, and cancer.

Why are sour cherries so expensive? ›

Part of the reason they are often expensive is that they can be labor-intensive since they are usually picked by hand, the cherries don't grow in all areas, the cherry season isn't very long, and simply because they can be sold for a lot of money.

I still call them sour cherries. These are our JAM around the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen because these are the cherries you want to bake with. They have less sugar than sweet cherries and that's a good thing because their high acidity brings a bright, vivid flavor while their sugars will concentrate as you cook them.

You'll reap cherry benefits regardless of whether you like your stone fruit sweet or sour. Sweet cherries may be more delightful for your tastebuds when you eat them by the handful. Tart cherries are often used in baking. “Aim for one cup of fresh cherries a day or a quarter-cup of dried ones,” suggests Sedlacek.

Cherries can be included in the diet for all stages of kidney disease. Cherries contain only trace amounts of sodium and are low in phosphorus. Sweet cherries are high in potassium (>200 mg in 3.5 ounces, which is almost one-half cup), while sour cherries are considered a low potassium food (<200 mg in 3.5 ounces).

Cherries are a healthy fruit that people living with diabetes can safely consume as part of a healthy eating plan. Cherries are a low GI fruit, which can help people to regulate their blood sugar levels more effectively. Cherries are also rich in recommended nutrients for diabetes, such as vitamin C and fiber.

The easiest way to freeze cherries is to wash them, blot them dry gently with a paper towel and then arrange them on a cookie sheet. Place them in the freezer for a couple of hours. Then take and seal them in zip-loc bags and place them back in the freezer. You can pull them out at any time to eat them.

Cherries will keep in the freezer for 6 months, or up to a year in a deep freezer. I froze approximately 54 cherries, and that yielded one quart size bag of frozen cherries.

Freezing fresh cherries for later use keeps the sweet taste of summer around. And it's super easy to do—all you need is a freezer. You can eat them straight out of the freezer for a cooling snack on a sweltering summer day.

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.