Where to Buy Dried Cherries?
Soft, fluffy, juicy and petite. You’re probably craving for dried cherries. Perhaps you’re yearning for their tenderness, their chewiness, and their sweet-tangy flavor that desirably strews on your lips, on your tongue, and down to your throat. Unfortunately, you don’t have a cherry tree somewhere in your neighborhood, or worse, you don’t have any cherry trees growing in your country. Do not worry. If you are in the market for dried cherries, the world is full of them. You can simply call or contact a cherry farm or a dried cherry manufacturer via phone or Internet. And at last, you can finally enjoy the dried cherry that you’ve long waited for.
How Dried Cherries Came to Be
Cherries that grow in one’s backyard can be easily transformed into sun-dried fruits. One can simply wash them, place them in the tray and expose them to the sun for half a day. This procedure is also done by some dried cherry farms. However, most of them use mechanical driers and dehydrators to hasten up the drying process. In business, time can be the number one enemy.
Commercial producers of dried cherries usually dip the fresh cherries in a boiling solution of sodium carbonate (washing soda) for 20 seconds and then wash them in cool water. This method will hasten the drying process by prompting the creation of small cracks in the surface of the fruit. Some even dip them in a solution of ethyl oleate (food additive) and oleyl alcohol (fatty alcohol found in beef fat and fish oil). They also dry cherries by freeze drying. Freeze drying is a method of preservation that dehydrates the food by turning its water molecules into ice crystals. Surrounding pressure will then be reduced, as a particular amount of heat is added to transform the crystallized molecules to gas. Cherry fruits should reach a 25% level of moisture content for them to have a long shelf life. Manufacturers can also choose to add sulfur dioxide after the procedures to enhance the color and keep the flavor of the cherry for a longer period.
However, most purchasers want their dried cherries organic. These are from trees that are cultivated and dried without the use of chemicals. Chemically-enhanced cherries can be hazardous to one’s health, and may affect the overall quality and nutritional value of the fruit.
Where are Cherry Farms located?
Cherry Trees’ sub-genus Cerasus grows in the mild climates of the Northern Hemisphere. Some species of cherry grow in America, Europe and Asia. But probably the most famous farms of cherries can be found in America. The West Coast is known for its sweet cherries, while Traverse City, Michigan – the said Cherry Capital of the World – is popular for its tart cherries.
Sweet cherries that are advised and are normally used for drying are Royal, Napoleon, Bing, and Lambert. The tart cherries, on the other hand, most suitable for drying are Large Montmorency and Early Richmond.
Buying Dried Cherries
Many websites on the Internet offer dried cherry products. Some producers of dried cherries are Payson Fruit Growers, Fruits’ Star, Peterson Farms and Traverse Bay Farms. You can check out their websites. You can purchase also dried cherries wholesale. Buying in wholesale is best when you don’t have cherry products all year round in your area.
