Prepare to get hooked on this easy recipe for pickled cherries. Sweet, sour and totally addictive, cherry pickles create a flavour explosion on the palate. They make a perfect accompaniment to cheese or just eat straight out of the jar as a delightful standalone snack.
Wash the cherries in cold water, then drain them well in a colander or sieve.
300 g fresh cherries
Remove the stones if you wish. I don't. A dedicated cherry pitter is worth having if you cook with cherries on a regular basis. Otherwise use a chopstick or reusable straw to push them out. Either way, be careful as juice tends to squirt out in all directions.
Place the cherries into a sterilised 500ml glass jar. Jiggle them around a bit, if they don't quite fit.
Pour the water, vinegar and sugar into a small pan and place over a low heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
150 ml apple cider vinegar, 100 ml water, 75 g golden caster sugar
Add the bay, thyme, clove, if using and the chilli. Bring to the boil and simmer for a couple of minutes.
2 bay leaves, 1 sprig fresh thyme, 1 whole clove, 1 small chilli
Pour the boiling liquid over the cherries. Make sure all of the aromatics go in too. Leave to cool slightly for a few minutes, then seal the jar.
Leave to cool completely, then store in a cool dark place for at least three days, but preferably a week or three. Will keep in a cool dark place for four months unopened. Once opened store in the fridge and use within two weeks.
Notes
How many cherries you can fit into you jar very much depends on their size. I got about 40 cherries into my 500 ml clip top jar.It probably doesn't even take as long as seven minutes to make these cherry pickles, but I didn't pit my cherries. If you stone yours, it will take a bit longer.If needed, head to this post on how to sterilise glass jars.You’ll find additional tips and info about this recipe in the main body of the post.Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per 500ml jar. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used. Please refer to my nutrition disclaimer for further information.