{"id":203,"date":"2026-03-19T17:45:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T17:45:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shaworchards.com\/blog\/?p=203"},"modified":"2026-03-19T17:45:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T17:45:39","slug":"cherry-pyo-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.shaworchards.com\/blog\/?p=203","title":{"rendered":"&#x1f352;Cherry PYO Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Cherry Season is a short window usually beginning in early June and going to early July; however, the PYO window can be anywhere from 1-3 weeks depending on the crop.  Watch the website!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rules<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Do NOT throw the berries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Children must be monitored at all times.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As with other fruit, sampling is OK, but gluttony is theft.&nbsp; We want you to know what you are picking, but&nbsp;<em>please<\/em>&nbsp;do not eat more than a few.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do not wander to other fields. &nbsp;Only pick the fruit that is advertised as being ripe.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is OK to sit a short while and enjoy our farm.&nbsp; But please understand that we are not a park, and need to cover our costs by selling food.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to Pick the Best Berry!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When picking sweet (Bing type) cherries:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Color:<\/strong> Choose cherries that are <strong>deep dark red or almost mahogany<\/strong>, as darker cherries are usually sweeter and riper.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Firmness:<\/strong> Pick cherries that feel <strong>firm and plump<\/strong>, not soft or mushy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stems:<\/strong>  Cherries may last a little longer if picked with the stem.  But it doesn&#8217;t make much difference.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Skin:<\/strong> Avoid cherries with <strong>wrinkles, splits, or rot<\/strong>, and choose ones that are smooth and shiny.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Size:<\/strong> <strong>Larger cherries are often sweeter and juicier<\/strong> because they had more time to mature on the tree.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When picking Montmorency (sour) cherries:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Color:<\/strong> Pick cherries that are <strong>bright to deep red<\/strong>, since fully red fruit is ripe and ready to harvest.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Firmness:<\/strong> Choose cherries that feel <strong>firm but still slightly tender<\/strong>, not hard or mushy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stems:<\/strong> Many Montmorency cherries are harvested <strong>without stems<\/strong>, so focus more on fruit quality than the stem.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Skin:<\/strong> Look for cherries with <strong>smooth, shiny skin and avoid any with splits, wrinkles, or bruises<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ease of Picking:<\/strong> A ripe Montmorency cherry will <strong>come off the tree easily with a gentle pull<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>After Picking Care<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Keep Them Cool &#8211; Cherries should be <strong>cooled as soon as possible after picking<\/strong>, ideally placed in a refrigerator within a few hours to slow down spoilage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Don&#8217;t Wash Right Away &#8211; Only <strong>wash cherries right before eating or using them<\/strong>, because extra moisture during storage can cause them to spoil faster.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Store in Refrigerator &#8211; Keep cherries <strong>in a breathable container or loosely covered bowl in the fridge<\/strong>, where they can stay fresh for about <strong>5\u20137 days<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Remove Damaged Fruit &#8211; Sort through your cherries and <strong>remove any soft, bruised, or moldy ones<\/strong>, since they can cause the rest to spoil more quickly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keep Stems On (If Present) &#8211; If the cherries still have stems, <strong>leave them attached<\/strong>, as stems help the fruit stay fresh longer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>How to Freeze Your Cherries<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sort the cherries, remove any soft, bruised, or damaged cherries so only the best fruit is frozen.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Wash and dry them,  rinse them under cool running water and spread them over a towel until they are completely dry.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Remove the stems and pit, if you plan to use them for baking and cooking later.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pre-freeze on a tray, spread the cherries in a single layer on a baking sheet so they are not touching.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Allow them to freeze until they are completely frozen, around 2-4 hours.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Transfer them to a freezer bag or air tight container.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Label and store them for up to 10-12 months!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cherry Season is a short window usually beginning in early June and going to early July; however, the PYO window can be anywhere from 1-3 weeks depending on the crop. Watch the website! Rules How to Pick the Best Berry! When picking sweet (Bing type) cherries: When picking Montmorency (sour) cherries: After Picking Care How [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[15],"class_list":["post-203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-infield-links","tag-pyo-cherry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shaworchards.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shaworchards.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shaworchards.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shaworchards.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shaworchards.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=203"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.shaworchards.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":226,"href":"http:\/\/www.shaworchards.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203\/revisions\/226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shaworchards.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shaworchards.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shaworchards.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}