This is my 2nd year to be a part of the Northwest Cherry Growers Canbassador program. This year I am using the cherries in two different ways. First, I will be dehydrating the cherries to make a delicious snack. In case you have never tasted a Ranier cherry, they are not too sweet and not too tart. They are just perfect. They seriously are the most delicious cherry we have EVER tasted. We enjoy them as a snack; dehydrated to use in granola or trail mix; we use them in baking and in cereal. There is actually no wrong way to eat them.
Please check out the Northwest Cherry Growers page. They have lots of good ideas and recipes and even printable labels. And if you want to see what I made with Ranier cherries last year be sure to find the recipe Canning Cherry Amaretto Jam.
Dehydrated cherries are juicier than most dried fruit. They are soft and chewy. They have a great taste and texture.
To dehydrate cherries, you first need to wash them under cool running water. Once they have been washed and dried, you need to use a cherry pitter and pit each cherry. Since we will be using the dehydrated cherries through out the year for all different kinds of recipes (muffins, cakes, etc.) and will also use them as snacks, I decided to cut some of the cherries in half for this batch.
Once the cherries have all been halved, just spread them out on your dehydrator trays.
Turn on your dehydrator to 135 degrees and let them dehydrate overnight and check them the next morning or just let them dehydrate for 12-14 hours.
When done, they should be sticky and pliable. Some people like them to look like raisins and let them dry longer but I like them before they reach that state. I don't want them to be all dried up. Dehydrated cherries are juicier than most dried fruit. They are soft and chewy. They have a great taste and texture.
Dehydrated cherries can store in any airtight container. I generally store mine in canning jars. If you don't plan on using them for awhile I would add in an O2 absorber.
Other ways we use dehydrated cherries is to use them in any recipe that calls for raisins or craisins. They also go great on ice cream and stirred into yogurt! Yum!
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