How Much do Dried Cherries Cost? A Review on Brands and Prices

Have you ever eaten a cherry? If you have, then probably you have also been craving for its sweet or tangy slippery taste to once again linger and slide down your throat ever since the first time you tasted it. Because whether we admit it or not, cherries, clearly, are simply one of the most irresistible fruits in the world. Not only because they are pleasing to the mouth, but also because they provide us many health benefits which may be enjoyed in a plethora of delicious ways: from eating them raw to drinking their concentrate. But if you plainly want to enjoy the cherry fruit and its goodness in one of its simplest form, perhaps you are craving for tasty, mouth-popping dried cherries.

Although they have undergone the process of moisture-removal, dried cherries do not lose their nutritional value. Like the fresh-from-the-tree cherries, dried cherries still contain the nutrients that make cherries a Wonder Fruit, as acclaimed and recognized in the field of nutrition. In fact, dried cherries are known to have relieving abilities for people who are suffering from gout, arthritis and menopausal problems. Eating a handful of dried cherries can also regulate your sleeping habit, making it a good packed food for those who might have a jet lag for traveling overseas. And most of all, dried cherries are a good alternative to junk foods. Parents who want to ensure that their children are eating the right kind of food might opt to consider adding a pack of dried cherries in their kids’ lunchbox every time they go to school.

The question is: are all brands of dried cherries containing the same nutritional benefits? More concerned consumers also wonder: how much does a pack of dried cherries cost?

Home-made dried cherries are more often than not sun-dried. Commercial dried cherries, on the other hand, involve more chemicals and at times preservatives. Some of the most popular producers of dried cherries are Payson Fruit Growers, Traverse Bay Farms and Peterson Farms.

The Payson Fruit Growers ensures quality control in manufacturing dried cherries. It offers various dried cherry products, mostly coated or granulated Montmorency cherries. Two of their best-seller products are Chocolate Covered Dried Cherries and the Yogurt Covered Dried Cherries that cost $11.38 (per 2 pounds) and $9.00 (per 24 ounce bag) respectively.

Traverse Bay Farms, an advocate of dried cherries to fight the symptoms and prevent arthritis, has a wider variety of dried cherry products: dried sweetened tart cherries, dried natural tart cherries without sugar, organic dried cherries, and chocolate-covered dried cherries. Traverse Bay Farms assure its customers that their cherries follow the USDA Good Agricultural Practices for growing cherries and that their orchards have been verified as environmental friendly by the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program. As compared to Payson Fruit Growers, Traverse Bay Farms dried cherries are cheaper. Dried sweetened cherries cost $6.25 per 8 oz. bag; dried natural tart cherries without added sugar cost $18.95 per 8 oz. bag; milk chocolate-coated dried tart cherries cost $7.75 per 8 oz. bag; and their dark chocolate-coated dried tart cherries cost $7.75 per 8 oz. bag.

Lastly, Peterson Farms is the biggest privately owned fruit processor in the entire Michigan. It was originally inclined to the production of grapes, apples and oranges. But now, they are already producing different fresh fruits and other fruit products, including dried cherries. Some of their famous dried cherry products include Dried Cherry Berry Blend, a blend of dried cherries, blueberries, and cranberries sweetened with specialized sugar, and the Chocolate-Covered Dried Cherries, dried cherries covered in sweet and creamy milk chocolate. Both of them cost $7.50 (per 13.5 oz. bag).

There are other dried cherry brands and manufacturers that produce and sell dried cherries. In buying, you have to consider the quality of the product, the ingredients used and the nutritional values usually provided on the label of the product.

Although fresh cherries are not available the whole year round, through these dried cherry products we can enjoy the taste and the nutritional benefits of these Wonder Fruits anywhere and anytime.