Pickled Cherries

It’s been a good summer for cherries and I was thinking about a way to prolong the gustatory pleasure into the fall and winter months. Brandied cherries…well, I can order them from my purveyor so no challenge there. I thought about a cherry confit but I wanted to preserve their sweet tartness and fresh flavor…so back to the drawing board. But what about pickling? Admittedly, I don’t like excessively sour foods and I was hesitant to plunk down a hard-earned ten dollars on a bag of cherries that could end up giving Sour Patch Kids a run for their money. So I choose the mild, fruitiness of apple cider vinegar, used a blend of sweet and warm spices, and kept the cooking time to a minimum. By the way, hold onto the pickling liquid…it makes for a refreshing spritzer.

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Recipe for Pickled Cherries

12 oz. apple cider vinegar

12 oz. water

4 oz. sugar

2 vanilla beans

5 whole allspice

4 bay leaves, fresh

5 whole cloves

2 lb. fresh cherries, pitted and halved

Combine sugar, water, vinegar and spices in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the cherries and cook for 5 minutes. Allow the cherries to cool to room temperature (in the pickling liquid). Refrigerate for up to 1 month.  For longer storage, the pickled cherries can be processed in canning jars after cooking.