"Summer gives us beach weather, blockbuster movies, and cherries by the bushel. Cherry season begins as early as May and runs as late as August. For a fruit as delicious as cherries, this is far too short a season. We endure eight months without cherries or pay higher prices for imported ones, if they're even available. But there is a better way! You can freeze cherries, and they will taste as good later. Just know the texture will change when you thaw them again."
"Dry them thoroughly because you want as little moisture as possible during the freezing process. You don't have to pit the cherries, but it makes them easier to use later. The quickest way is to use a cherry pitter. Since most of us don't have one, a rigid straw or chopstick pushed through the top of the cherry where the stem was can pop the pit out the bottom. You can also cut the cherries in half with a paring knife and remove the pit."
"To freeze, place the dried and pitted cherries on a baking sheet lined with parchment. You want them flat and separated so they don't freeze together. Place them in the freezer for at least two hours but no more than twelve. Once they are frozen solid, you can transfer them to freezer bags or storage containers for long-term freezing. If you use a bag, remove as much air as possible. Using a straw to suck it out helps."
Cherry season runs from May through August, leaving long gaps without fresh cherries. Clean cherries by soaking them 10 to 20 minutes, rinsing, and drying thoroughly to minimize surface moisture. Pit cherries for easier later use using a cherry pitter, rigid straw, chopstick, or by halving and removing pits with a paring knife. Arrange dried, pitted cherries in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet to freeze for at least two hours but no more than twelve, then transfer to airtight freezer bags or containers and expel excess air. Faster freezing reduces ice-crystal damage; slow freezing creates large crystals that rupture cells and change thawed texture.
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