Dehydrating Cherries

Dried cherries are a healthy delicious snack you can take on the go, use in salads, and baked goods.  If you have your own cherry trees when you get a harvest there are loads of cherries to process and share.  Dehydrating is a quick easy option to preserve cherries for later in the season.  You can use either sour or sweet but if you want them for snacking sweet are definitely better.  Be sure to use tree ripe cherries for the best results.

Stem and Pit the Cherries 

Wash  the cherries and drain in a colander.  I stem any that need it as I put them in the cherry pitter.

It's worth the investment to get a good, fast cherry pitter for large jobs.  I like the Leifheit pitter.  It's quick and efficient. 

I use the screens on the trays. I try to use small cherries for drying so I don't have to cut them in half.  

Leifheit Cherry Pitter

 Arrange Cherries on the Trays

It a good idea to have a space around the cherries for air to circulate. In other words don't over pack the trays or your drying time will be too long and drying will be inefficient.

I also don't like to do too many trays at once to ensure even drying.

Drying the Cherries

Set the dehydrator to 160 F for 2-3 hours then lower the temperature to 135F/57C for 10 to 20 hours. Drying time will depend on the size of the cherries.  

When done cherries should be dry to the touch.  They will still be leathery and somewhat pliable.

To test for doneness, turn the dehydrator off and allow the cherries to rest for 20 minutes.  Break one in half.  There should be no moisture along the break.

Storing Dehydrated Cherries

Light and oxygen will harden an darken your cherries.  I like one of three  options to store them.  

• First put in canning jars, fill completely full and add an oxygen absorber and store in cool dry place. 
• Second vacuum seal in bags and store in a dark place.  
• Third put in mylar bags with oxygen absorber 

Nesco Dehydrator and Jerky Maker

Nesco Dehydrator screens