Cherries: picking, storage and recipes
Cherries ripen fast and stop ripening once picked. Pick them with the stem — they stay fresh longer.
📅 Season: May and June; earliest in Dalmatia, inland from late May.
How to tell it's ripe
- Even, full colour for the variety (red, dark red or yellow-red).
- Firm and glossy, coming away from the branch easily with its stem.
- Sweet with no bitterness — taste one from the same tree before you start.
How to pick
- Keep the stem: lift it upwards with a slight twist without tearing off the fruit buds.
- Don't climb the branches; use the host's ladders or pick the low branches.
- Eat split fruit (after rain) straight away or keep it apart — it spoils quickly.
Storage
- Unwashed, stems on, in an open container in the fridge they keep 4–6 days.
- To freeze, stone them, spread on a tray, freeze, then bag.
Recipes
Cherry clafoutis
Ingredients
- 500 g stoned cherries
- 3 eggs
- 70 g sugar
- 70 g flour
- 250 ml milk
- 1 tbsp butter
- a pinch of salt
Method
- Heat the oven to 190 °C, butter a dish and spread the cherries in it.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar, then add flour, salt and milk to a smooth batter.
- Pour over the cherries and bake 35–40 minutes until golden. Serve warm.
Cherry and cinnamon compote
Ingredients
- 500 g cherries
- 1 l water
- 80 g sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- lemon peel
Method
- Bring the water, sugar, cinnamon and lemon peel to the boil.
- Add the cherries and simmer 5 minutes.
- Cool and serve chilled.
ⓘ These are general tips; at a pick-your-own always follow the host's instructions.
More tips
🍓 Strawberries · 🫐 Blueberries · 🍎 Apples · 🍇 Grapes · 🟣 Figs · 🍊 Mandarins · 🍅 Tomatoes