Cherry is one of the most popular fruits in summer, which is full of many healing properties. This high-quality product is sold in the dry fruit market, and its consumption is recommended for pregnant mothers. Dried cherries are a very nutritious and healthy snack.
Dried cherry properties
The properties of dried cherries are:
- Heart booster
- Destroyer of free radicals
- Strong pain reliever for chronic pain
- Increasing calories with dried cherries
In the following, we will examine each of the above cases.
1- Heart booster
Cherry is one of the fruits rich in antioxidants due to its natural antioxidants such as anthocyanin, quercetin, kaempferol, chlorogenic acid. Anthocyanins in cherries protect the body against oxidative stress damage in various ways. It activates the enzyme detoxification system and antioxidant enzymes. Binding to DNA and causing oxidative damage.
2- Destroyer of free radicals
Due to the presence of antioxidants in cherries, it protects blood vessels and brain cells from oxidative stress. By consuming cherries, it is possible to prevent the formation of atherosclerotic plaques and diseases related to dementia.
3- Strong pain reliever for chronic pain
By consuming cherries, inflammatory diseases such as gout and arthritis can be reduced. According to the research conducted in America about the consumption of cherry juice, they found that by consuming cherry juice during the day for eight days, chronic pain after sports competitions can be reduced compared to people who use chemical drugs and pain relievers. .
4- Increasing calories with dried cherries
The effect of dried cherries on the body system is great, 100 grams of dried cherries have about 350 calories of energy, while this amount of fresh cherries has only 68 calories of energy.
In fact, dried cherries have 5 times the calories of fresh cherries, when dried cherries lose a lot of water, and the moisture content of dried cherries is 1.10 of fresh cherries. This makes dried cherries more than fresh cherries per 100 grams and the energy density of dried cherries is higher than fresh cherries.
Methods of drying cherries
The methods of drying cherries are:
- Using an oven
- Drying cherries with core exposed to the sun
- Drying pitted cherries in the sun
- By toaster
In the following, we will examine each of the above cases.
1- Using an oven
It is good to prepare dried cherries, choose cherries that are fully ripe and others that are large and do not have any spots. One way to dry this delicious fruit is to prepare pitted dried cherries. At the beginning, wash the cherries with cold water, then remove the stems and dry them with a napkin or a towel at the end. In the next step, take the cherry cores, either by halving the cherry or by using a cherry corer, remove them completely.
Place the cherries on a tray and place in the oven at 74 degrees Celsius for 3 hours. At the end, when a little of the water of the cherries has evaporated and it has become wrinkled, you should set the oven temperature to 57 degrees and put it in the oven again for 16 to 24 hours. It is necessary to be careful that the cherries do not have any water when they are prepared and they are completely wrinkled and dried.
2- Drying cherries with core exposed to the sun
To dry the cherries, you can add a little salt to the cherries according to your taste. First, take the stems and leaves of the cherry and sprinkle some salt on them after washing them completely. In the next step, spread the cherries on a clean towel and expose them to direct sunlight for 1-3 days until they are completely wrinkled and dry. After all the cherries are completely dry, put them in a colander and wash them. At the end, put them in the sun for 1 hour until they are ready to use.
3- Drying pitted cherries in the sun
After taking the stems and leaves of the fruit and washing them, spread the cherries on a cloth and place them under the sun for 2 hours. Of course, if you wish, you can use a corer to completely remove the cherry cores without damaging the fruit texture. After removing the seeds, it is better to rinse the cherries with cold water.
At the end, let the excess water of the cherries be completely removed and put them in the tray again and place them in front of the sun until the water in the cherries is completely absorbed, so that they are completely wrinkled and dry.
4- By toaster
After cleaning and washing the cherries, it is better to put a foil inside the toaster tray and spread the cherries on it. Place the device on 125 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes until it heats up. After this period, regularly turn the cherries upside down and sprinkle some salt on them. It will take approximately 2 hours for the cherries to completely absorb the juice. You can consume when the skin of cherries is completely wrinkled.
It is recommended not to use unripe cherries for drying cherries because they have a bitter taste. It is better to remove unripe or rotten cherries before drying this fruit so that you do not feel unpleasant when drying.
Important and useful tips for preparing homemade dried cherries
Dried fruits such as dried cherries, which are in season now, are delicious and popular snacks that you can use to decorate and design all kinds of desserts, cakes, and ice creams. As you can to dry cherries, you can remove the seeds, this way you won’t worry about the kids swallowing the cherries and you can give them dried cherries with peace of mind. In addition, you can give your cherries a better taste by removing the seeds.
After drying the cherries, it is good to leave them at room temperature for an hour. To store dried cherries, put them in airtight packages. Also, if you wish, you can make cherry pilaf with this delicious and nutritious fruit and enjoy eating it with your family and friends.