How Do You Clean Cherries and Keep Cherries Fresh? (2024)

FAQs

How Do You Clean Cherries and Keep Cherries Fresh? ›

The best way to increase the longevity of fresh cherries is to make sure they stay as dry as possible. This means that washing fresh cherries before storing them can accelerate the spoiling process. Instead, wait to wash them with cold water until right before you eat them or use them in a recipe.

Cherries have a small crevice where the stem meets the fruit, and it's nearly impossible to dry this area completely. Washing before storing increases the likelihood that your cherries will rot before you can eat them.

Under plain running water: If you don't have time to soak cherries in a solution, simply run them under some tap water for a minute. While the water may not clean produce quite as well as a white vinegar or baking soda bath, it will knock out the majority of pesticides and microbes and make your cherries safe to eat.

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.

Soaking them in a vinegar solution is an easier way to make sure they're completely clean. How to do it: Pour the vinegar solution into a large bowl or storage container. Add the fruit and make sure that all pieces are submerged in the vinegar solution.

Proper airflow is needed to keep the cherries fresh. A storage container: You can also store cherries in a container, but don't put the lid on! Sealing the cherries in an airtight container can lead to moisture forming, and as we already discussed, moisture and cherries do not mix well!

The cherries that have stems, I will put them into a half gallon or gallon sized mason jar with a paper towel at the bottom. The mason jar of cherries should be stored in the fridge and they will last for about three weeks. The bowl of cherries should also be placed in the fridge, but be sure to eat those first!

Eating unwashed produce may cause you to ingest harmful bacteria, which may be present in the soil, or pesticides applied to produce in the fields. What's more, you might even end up eating bugs that were harvested along with the produce.

Baking soda is an effective pesticide residue remover. Studies have shown that it can significantly reduce the presence of pesticides on the surface of fruits. Vinegar, with its acetic acid, is also helpful in this regard.

Research suggests that this simple trick can remove pesticides and kill up to 98% of bacteria. Next time you get home from your grocery store run, take a few minutes and give your fruits and veggies a vinegar bath to get them ready to go.

Does baking soda really remove pesticides? ›

Because most pesticides aren't stable at an alkaline pH, soaking them in a baking soda solution can break down their compounds, and together with a rinse under tap water, can help to wash them away. Note: The baking soda solution will remove only certain classes of pesticides, and only from the produce's surface.

If you submerge the cherries in water, it is the worms (the larvae of cherry fruit fly) that may float to the top.

Good control can be achieved with a few well-timed pesticide sprayings beginning when the earliest maturing variety in the orchard is just starting to turn from green to straw-colored. Traps should also be set to determine if the fruit flies are present.

The best way to increase the longevity of fresh cherries is to make sure they stay as dry as possible. This means that washing fresh cherries before storing them can accelerate the spoiling process. Instead, wait to wash them with cold water until right before you eat them or use them in a recipe.

Control ethylene for optimal shelf life

By controlling ethylene, you can slow the rate the fruit matures in a deliberate way, that still allows it to ripen as it would naturally - just over a longer time frame. It's Fresh!

Store cherries unwashed and uncovered in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Avoid storing cherries near strong-smelling foods (like onions or garlic). Your cherries can take on the odor of these foods which alters their taste. Rinse cherries under cold water only when you are ready to use or eat them.

Fortunately, common household vinegar is quite effective at killing the mold spores and bacteria that spoil fruit. 1 By washing berries in a mixture of white vinegar and water, you can make your berries last longer in the fridge.