The Tip To Remember To Keep Your Cherries Fresh For Longer

If you love cherries, you know that peak cherry season can be annoyingly short. Some years, it may feel like cherries are in and out of your local grocery store before you can buy enough batches of your favorite fruit. 

But whether you stock up on cherries during the summer or are able to snag some during the off-season, there are ways to keep cherries fresh so that you can enjoy them for longer — that is, if you don't eat them all first.

According to MasterClass, one tip for fresh cherries comes down to a part of the cherry you might typically ignore or toss out. Before you throw any part of your cherries away, you should know how to keep them as fresh as possible for as long as you can. This tip is an easy way to check how fresh your cherries are — and keep them that way.

If you want fresh cherries, don't ignore the stems. Sometimes, cherry stems seem to pop right off — or you fix a bowl of cherries, take the stems off, and then put them back in the refrigerator. But if you want cherries to keep their fresh, sweet flavor for longer, keep the stems on.

According to the Victorian Cherry Association, when you pick out cherries at the store, you should remember that the freshest cherries have bright green stems. The brighter the stems, the fresher the cherries — and the more you'll enjoy eating them.

If you pluck off the cherry stems and eat the cherries later, they won't be as fresh, and they may spoil more quickly. (There's nothing worse than craving a sweet bowl of fruit and then discovering that all of your cherries are rotten, so it's better to just keep those stems on.) According to Martha Stewart, cherries will last for about a week, but under the right conditions — yes, such as with the stems off — they can last far longer.

Keeping the cherry stems on isn't the only way to keep cherries fresh — so don't worry if a few stems come off in the bag. Cherries usually spoil at room temperature, so as soon as you get them home from the store, stick them in the fridge. It's also important to keep cherries dry — washing them before storing them will make their shelf life shorter (per Gardening Know How). And if you choose to store cherries in a bowl, make sure that you've cleaned it thoroughly before storing the cherries. 

Another crucial thing you may not know about cherries? They can spoil when they're exposed to sunlight. It's one of many reasons you should keep them refrigerated, especially if your fruit basket is under a window (per MasterClass). To make cherries last far longer, freeze them on a baking sheet and defrost them when you want a tasty summertime treat (via YouTube).

It may seem like there are countless ways for cherries to go bad, but thankfully, there are even more ways to keep them fresh. When you pay attention to the color of the cherries' stems and keep them on the cherries instead of plucking them off, you'll be able to finally savor that delicious bag of cherries.