Recommendations on how to store cherries at home fresh and processed
Preserving freshly picked cherries is important not only for housewives, but also for wholesalers. This can only be done if certain conditions are met, by choosing the right storage method and place. Today you will learn how to keep sweet cherries fresh for several days and longer.
The content of the article
Features and basic rules for storing cherries
Sweet cherry is a perishable food. At home, fresh, it is stored for 2 to 7 days, depending on the variety.
This period will be extended if certain conditions are met, for example:
- late varieties of cherries are suitable for long-term storage;
- from early varieties, only dense, not overripe fruits are chosen;
- 3 weeks before the planned harvest, the tree is not watered so that the peel of the berries does not burst from excess moisture;
- are harvested in the morning, when stone fruits have the greatest elasticity.
Domestic and industrial storage methods differ significantly.
Selection and preparation of berries
It depends on the correct choice of fruits whether it will be possible to preserve them for a long time. What to look for when buying cherries in a store or market:
- Colour. Red varieties should be dark, firm and shiny. These are the first signs of ripeness and freshness of the berries.
- Damage. The absence of dents and cracks means neat transportation.
- Rotten, spoiled or fermented are not suitablefor long-term storage.
- Choose a sweet cherry that has a stalk. It contains a small amount of moisture, it protects against the ingress of bacteria. Berries without tails are poorly stored; the fermentation process begins quickly in them.
- The stalks should be green and fresh. Brown and sluggish is a sign that the fruits were plucked a long time ago.
- Don't buy cherries that are sold in buckets or deep containers. The lower layers of the berries are choked by the weight and are no longer suitable for storage.
Suitable containers for transporting and selling fruit are wooden or plastic boxes with a depth of no more than 20 cm.
To keep the harvest as long as possible, follow these rules:
- pick berries early in the morning;
- scatter them on a blanket and sort through, separate whole fruits from rotten, spoiled and crushed;
- the cherries are not washed, the dew residues on the surface of the skin are dried with a paper towel.
The varieties most suitable for long-term storage
Any varieties are suitable for storage at home, only the timing and methods differ slightly. For example, sweet cherries of light early varieties are stored for no more than 5 weeks frozen or 2-3 months in dried (in the form of raisins). Red late varieties are preserved for up to 6 months or more.
In industrial conditions, only late varieties with a high acid content are stored:
- light: Bryansk pink, Exhibition, Francis;
- dark: Napoleon, Regina, Recordist, Tyutchevka.
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How to store cherries correctly
Freshly picked berries cannot be stored for a long time at room temperature, because.the fermentation process begins on the 2-3rd day. Therefore, if there is no time today to start harvesting in the winter, put the cherries in a cool room or refrigerator.
Optimal conditions
Suitable storage temperature:
- in fresh, canned or dried form - from + 1 ° С to -1 ° С;
- refrigerator (common vegetable compartment) - from 0 ° С to + 2 ° С;
- freezer - from -15 ... -18 ° С.
The optimum humidity for storing fresh berries is 95%. At 50-60% humidity, the period is halved.
Where to store
Depending on the harvesting method, you need to choose a place where the berries will be stored for a long time:
- Refrigerator. It contains fresh fruits that have not undergone heat treatment or drying. They must not be washed before placing in a container. Excess moisture is removed with paper towels.
- Freezer. Cherries are frozen for longer storage, after rinsing under running water and drying on a towel.
- Cellar. Canned food is stored in glass jars.
Long-term storage of berries at room temperature is impossible, the period is no more than 48 hours.
What to store
For storage of cherries at home, use:
- plastic containers with tight-fitting lids;
- glass jars with a capacity of 0.5 l to 3 l;
- special vacuum bags;
- dense cellophane bags or bags with a zip-lock.
How to store cherries at home
Simple storage methods allow you to preserve berries fresh, frozen, dried or canned. However, they do not lose their beneficial properties.
At home, keeping fresh cherries for a long time will not work. Shelf life at room temperature - no more than 2 days.
Freshly picked berries will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days (depends on the variety and degree of maturity). They are placed in a small open-top container, such as a plastic container, and placed in the vegetable compartment.
They are stored in frozen form much longer than fresh - more than six months. A freezer can be used. Prepared fruits without traces of damage and spoilage are placed in a bag or plastic or glass container with a tight-fitting lid. Freeze whole berries and pitted. They are used for preparing compotes, desserts, baking.
Important! After the first defrosting, cherries cannot be re-frozen.
Drying is a more time-consuming procedure. This storage method allows you to get berries, which are then used to make drinks from dried fruits, given to children instead of sweets. Cherries are dried both with and without a stone.
Canning - the most common method of storing berries, known to many housewives. Various compotes, preserves, jams, candied fruits are rolled in glass jars.
Recycled storage
To keep the processed pitted cherries longer, use the following methods.
A gas oven is used:
- The berries are carefully sorted out, washed under running water and dried.
- All bones are removed.
- Spread on a baking sheet in one row.
- Preheat the oven to 50 ° C, but no more, otherwise the fruits will be baked and not dried. Put a baking sheet in it for 2 hours, then increase the temperature to 75 ° C. Finished dried berries do not stick together and do not release juice.
Drying in an electric dryer is carried out according to the instructions for it. The prepared cherries are laid out in one layer. Dried within 24 hours.
To freeze cherries:
- Washed and dried fruit without pits is placed in a bag with a fastener or a regular thick plastic bag. It will save space in the freezer.
- Leave in the freezer for 2-3 hours, then stir the bag so that the berries do not freeze to each other.
In the future, you can take the required amount for the preparation of berry compotes, mashed potatoes, yogurt, baked goods in winter.
On a note! Defrosting berries is very easy.It is enough to put them on a dish in the microwave, set the “Defrost” mode for 2 minutes, and they will become as fresh.
For compotes and preserves, red late varieties with a high acid content are chosen. The berries give the drink a rich color, do not boil over during heat treatment. Before canning, the cherries are washed well, rotten or spoiled berries are removed. They put it in a jar and roll it up, following the recipe and dosage of ingredients.
Storage periods
How much cherries are stored, depending on the method chosen:
- in the refrigerator (in the lower vegetable compartment) - from 2 to 7 days;
- in the freezer - from 7 to 8 months;
- in dried form - up to a year;
- in canned food - from a year.
It is not recommended to store sweet cherry compote for more than one year. Over time, the bones begin to secrete hydrocyanic acid, which can lead to poisoning.
Useful tips to keep cherries fresh longer
Tips to help keep fruits fresh for longer:
- pick a berry or buy it along with the stalk - it retains a supply of moisture and vitamins, which will extend the shelf life of cherries;
- make sure that there are no spoiled fruits among the good ones, since bacteria will quickly transfer to them and cause rotting;
- wash just before use, dry fruits stay in the refrigerator longer;
- do not cover the container with a lid - condensation will quickly spoil the fruit;
- the cooler the storage space, the longer fresh berries will last.
How to store berries for sale
It is not possible to store fresh cherries for a long time in production for further wholesale. But scientists under the leadership of V.A.Gudkovsky, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, found a way out after conducting a series of tests at the VNIIS im. Michurin.
They found that the percentage of drying of the stalk is significantly reduced if freshly picked berries are quickly cooled at a temperature of + 1 ... + 2 ° C and an air humidity of 95%. This fact made it possible to develop new methods for storing fresh berries and ways of transporting them without damage.
On a note! In supermarkets, cherries are stored in wooden boxes or plastic containers, subject to the obligatory observance of the temperature regime - no more than + 2 ° С and humidity 90-95%.
Agro-industrial enterprises that are involved in cultivation and wholesale use other storage methods.
Hydro-cooling is a new technology that allows you to keep berries fresh for 10-14 days... It is used in all exporting countries that are involved in the storage and packaging of fruits. During sorting, the cherries are passed through an ice-laden water stream. This does not have much effect on the stalk, but it helps to slow down the deterioration of the peel of the berries.
With the help of MA-1 and MA-2 film containers, a gaseous environment is created to preserve cherries. They are put on over wooden boxes with berries laid out in them and tightly closed. Carbon dioxide accumulates inside, the amount of oxygen decreases - a suitable gaseous medium for storage is formed.
However, this method is less effective than special gas chambers (RGS - controlled atmosphere), in which the level of carbon dioxide can be controlled and maintained. Therefore, for storage in a polyethylene container, the berries are pre-cooled at a temperature of + 2 ° C.
MGS (modified gaseous medium) is an improved analogue of RGS. The system consists of a plastic container in which the gas medium is regulated by means of a gas exchanger. Thus, fresh fruits are stored for 2-3 weeks.
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Conclusion
You can preserve the nutritious vitamins and freshness of cherries at home using simple methods - cooling or freezing.Processed berries last much longer when dried, frozen, or preserved.