How to Dehydrate Cherries

Are you ready to learn how to dehydrate cherries at home?

Cherries

Dehydrating cherries when they're in season is a good idea as they are a pretty expensive fruit to buy, so when it's time, get busy dehydrating this nutritional fruit! You can also dehydrate frozen cherries too. Read more about cherries on Wiki, here.

I remember as a kid eating mom's glacé cherries which are also known as candied cherries, (trust kids to want to only eat fruit with sugar on or in it, sigh), I used to go to the fridge and sneak a few from the container... I wonder if she ever noticed? :-)

UPDATE: Yes, she did.


They are a versatile fruit for making cherry cobblers, pies, toppings, and are used in fruit cocktails (the fresh cherries are used for cocktails!)

Lately, I've been enjoying fruit cocktail on my breakfast cereal to avoid adding granulated sugar. But since going Keto, I've stopped eating stuff with added sugar... visit Finally-Keto for more information.

Don't miss our quick note about how to sweeten sour cherries... please scroll down to our tip (below the "how to" instructions).

Don't forget to check out all our fruits here!





Cherries Nutrition Info.

Sour red cherries are packed with vitamin A but are no match for sweet red cherries in the vitamin A department!

Sour cherries also have more vitamin C, and Folate.

In the mineral department, both types of cherries are pretty evenly matched. They have a great amount of Potassium, followed by a good amount of Phosphorus, Calcium, Magnesium, and have trace amounts of Iron, Zinc, Copper, and Manganese. Both cherries contain Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.





How to Dehydrate Cherries

Let's get busy learning how to dehydrate cherries:

If using from frozen, ignore step 1.

  1. Wash them and remove the stems and pits. *See NOTE at bottom.
  2. Cut in half and place them on your food dehydrator trays with the cut-side up to prevent drips on the lower trays!
  3. Turn on your dehydrator and set the temperature between 125°F and 135°F (or per your food dehydrator's instructions).
  • Drying time: between 18-26 hours and they will feel sticky and leathery when dried.
  • Make sure you don't over-dry them!
  • Remember to rotate your food dehydrator trays, for even drying.

NOTE: When dehydrating the sour variety, you may wish to boil them first (for about ten minutes) in a syrup (info directly below) to sweeten them up.

Use a mixture of one cup each of sugar and light corn syrup, to two cups of water, per pound of cherries. Let them air dry before finally dehydrating them.

Best Area to Grow Cherries

Unlike money, cherries do grow on trees! The best area to grow cherries is in an area with full sun and well-drained soil. Cherries need to be watered regularly and should be fertilized every year in the spring.

The best fertilizer for cherry trees is a slow-release fertilizer that is high in nitrogen.

When Are Cherries Ready to Harvest?

Cherries are usually ready to harvest in late June or early July. Cherries can be harvested by hand or with a cherry picker.

What Are the Different Types of Cherry Trees?

There are many different types of cherry trees that you can grow. Some of the most popular varieties include:

  • Bing cherries
  • Cherokee cherries
  • Tart cherries
  • Sweet cherries

What Are Glacé Cherries?

Glace Cherries on top of a plastic sheetUsed by Permission / Canva registered user

Glacé cherries are a type of preserved cherry. Glacé cherries have been soaked in sugar syrup and then coated with a sugar glaze. These cherries are often used as a decoration on cakes and pies.

How to Make Candied Cherries

Candied cherries are a type of candy made with cherries and sugar. Candied cherries are made by soaking cherries in a sugar syrup and then coating them with sugar. Candied cherries can be made at home or purchased at a candy store.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound cherries, pitted and drained
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, water, corn syrup, and vanilla extract. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved.
  2. Add the cherries to the sugar syrup and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
  3. Once the cherries are cool, coat them in sugar. Place the coated cherries on a wire rack to dry.
  4. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.

Susan Gast owner, Easy Food Dehydrating plus Finally-Keto.com and SusanGast.com

Susan Gast began Easy Food Dehydrating in December 2010. Read Susan's story of what sparked her interest in all things related to "food dehydrating."

She is featured on Mother Earth News blog, and on Solo Build It (SBI) who host this site. Read her first SBI interview, and her second SBI interview.

Since 1980, Susan's involvement in publishing - in one form or another - led her to create a "review site" of products related to the publishing industry. Visit ePubTechReviews today, also hosted by Solo Build It. Susan also runs her namesake site SusanGast.com on Solo Build It that showcases the books she has written since 2010.

Do you want to send Susan a quick message? Visit her contact page here. She'd love to hear from you!

More Good Stuff to Read!

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    How to Dehydrate Pears

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