The flavor and texture of cherries are compromised in warm temperatures, so
make sure they’ve been kept in a cool, moist area. Since grocery stores most
often display cherries piled up in bins or boxes, the fruit tends to get
roughly handled – so when choosing your cherries, take just a few into your
hand at a time and inspect them closely. A good cherry should be large (roughly
an inch or more in diameter), hard, glossy, plump, and dark. The color of a
good Bing, for example, will be so dark purple that it almost looks black. Toss
back the fruits that are small in comparison to the rest, that don’t feel as
firm, or that have cuts or bruises on the surface or are sticky from the
leakage of juice. When a bunch of cherries in the bin are spoiled, they’ll
trigger the surrounding fruit’s spoilage process, so consider buying your
cherries somewhere else if a good portion of the fruit is unsavory. Check the
stems; they should be green and look fresh. A dark stem is the sign of poor
storage conditions or old age. Don’t buy cherries without stems, because the
break where the stem once was can invite decay to begin, and the cherry may not
be as fresh.
Care and storage.
Cherries bruise easily, especially the lighter-colored, more delicate Rainier
variety, so make sure you package them loosely in plastic bags. Either that, or
you can store them in a shallow pan (make a single layer) and cover them with
plastic wrap. If they were fresh and in good condition at the time of purchase,
they should keep for about a week in your refrigerator when properly stored.
Check them periodically, because as mentioned earlier, one spoiled fruit can
“encourage” the others to spoil as well.
If you want to extend your eating pleasure through the winter months, you
can stock up and freeze the cherries. Rinse and drain them well, and then
spread them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet or pizza pan and pop them
in the freezer. Once they’re frozen, transfer them to a heavy, freezer-safe
plastic bag, where you can safely keep them for up to a year. Be sure to mark
the date on the bag so that you’ll know when they’re past their prime.