My sister has cherries, and I was invited over to pick what I wanted. I went early in the morning yesterday, and had a good visit with her while we picked.
I was fortunate enough to find all 3 available kinds: Ranier (light), Dark (like Bings or Lamberts), and pie cherries. Then, I spent yesterday processing them.
I canned 7 quarts, and 22 pints of sweet cherries. Some jars were dark, some light, and some, like these, were mixed. They were very ripe and sweet, so I used a 6:1 water/sugar ratio. A little sugar helps them stay firm and fresh longer, but they sure didn’t need much.
I made pie filling, and got 7-3 cup jars, and 7 pints. That was a lot of work, because I had to pit all of those little cherries, but I’m super happy to have the pie filling. I used the recipe here.
I made cherry jam for the first time. I used a mixture of dark and light sweet cherries for that. I used a low-sugar recipe.
With all these projects, I finished off the pie cherries and light cherries, except for a few I kept out for eating fresh.
I used some of the dark ones, but there are quite a few left in the camper fridge. I plan to pit and freeze those today.
I’m very excited to have so many cherries. I’m only guessing, but I think it was between 40 and 50 pounds combined. We have been completely out for a while, so this will fill things back up nicely.
That is so wonderful. One less thing you have to worry about.
Yes! It’s so nice to have them done. I just finished cutting the last of them in half and taking the pits out. My hands are purple and I look like I never clean my fingernails, but I’m happy because I’ve got them done:)
I know what you mean. My sister told me a needed a manicure over the weekend. I told her what is the point. Between gardening, housework and cooking, my nails would be destroyed. She laughed and said that she doesn’t do any of that. Love her but we live very different lives. She is a single mom with 2 teen boys ,one is special needs. She has a landscaper and a cleaning lady and no garden.
Yes, I gave up fingernail polish on my fingernails years ago. There was just no point. It would be chipped before the day even ended:). I really enjoy canning, though, and gardening, and children, so it’s worth it to me.
Me too.
That is a huge amount of cherries! I’m amazed at how much you got canned. That is a lot of work. 🙂
I’m whupped! I’m not ashamed to admit it, but really happy to have all that done. Im glad I’m done pitting the ones for the freezer. I may hoard those a bit?
What a blessing! That is a job well done!
Now, I just need to wash everything thoroughly and put it away–a happy job for today:)
Oh, wow! LOTS of cherries! That’s lovely that you were able to pick them all from your sister’s trees, but what a lot of work to process them! I’m sure you’ll all enjoy eating them over the year. 🙂
I am so blessed that my sister has orchards. That is her husband’s business, so I get peaches and cherries, when there are crops. She also grows an amazing garden and is always willing to share, especially corn, now that I live with a small garden area.
It was a ton of work, especially the pitting for freezing and pie filling, but I’m super excited to have the products!
The only fresh cherry I have ever eaten is from the grocery store, and that does not count as fresh. Grocery store and garden picked do not taste anything alike. How sweet are the sweetest ones? Can you eat them straight from the tree without any tartness at all or are they still tart?
Jeannie@GetMeToTheCountry
The Raniers (light) are the sweetest. They are just like candy in many ways, if they are very ripe. The dark ones are still very sweet, but only slightly less so. When you get them in the store, they are not as dark as these were. They are picked green, so look red at times. Then, they are not as sweet. These were both very sweet, which is why I used a 6:1 water:sugar ratio when I canned them and no sugar at all on the frozen ones. They can be eaten like little popsicles when they are frozen. BUT,they are so much work that I don’t let Miss Patsy have as many as she wants……blueberries are much easier.
The little red ones are sour and tart. They are pie cherries. This year, they were allowed to get much riper than usual, so a person could eat one without puckering up very much:). They take much more sugar when processing, which is why we make pie filling with them. If you buy a can of cherry pie filling, that is what these are like. You can make sweet cherry pie, as well, and I sometimes make sweet cherry crisp. It takes less sugar, and has a different flavor. Again, it’s a lot of work to pit that many cherries, so I usually use berries since they are easier.