Cherries: Do They Ripen After Being Picked?

[opinionatedchef]

We love Ranier Cherries but, living in the Boston area, we do not have locally grown ones. For the first time in years of buying them, we recently bought a batch that is not as tender/ripe as they should be. Will they ripen if left unrefrig'd? If the answer is yes, do they have that in common with all other stone fruit? Thanks much.

[visciole]

If they're not ripe enough to eat raw, I'm sure they'll be tasty in some baked good. Cherry pie, mmm!

[Paulustrious]

If you want to follow up on various fruits use the word 'climacteric' in your searches.

[alkapal]

here's a handy-dandy chart of climacteric and non-climacteric fruits.
cherries are non-climacteric -- meaning their quality will not improve from the time of picking.

[BobB]

That sounds useful - could you link to it please?

[alkapal]

oops, thanks, bobB! here 'tis:
http://www.quisqualis.com/Climacteric...

[Paulustrious]

And as a not-entirely-trustworthy rule of thumb you are OK putting non-climacteric fruits in the fridge as they will not ripen any further.

For climacteric fruits you have to look at each on its own merits.

[ipsedixit]

No, cherries do not ripen off the tree. They only get softer, then mushy, then rotten.

[EWSflash]

i'm pretty sure they don't. If they don'tlook ripe to begin with, I don't buy them. They never get crispy-crunchy-sweet and good and tend to mold.

[bluemoon4515]

If they're already pretty ripe, they will probably get a little softer over time. But in general I don't think cherries are a fruit that ripens off the tree.

[ChefBoyAreMe]

Wow, that's a new one on me. While I love good soft ripened peaches or pears, cherries, like apples, I want as hard and crisp as I can get them. To me, the perfect cherry is one that cracks when you bite it, and I keep them refrigerated to keep them as hard as possbile, as long as possible. As soon as they get a bit soft, I lose interest. Especially Rainiers, which tend to get soft faster than Bings.

I guess that's also why jelly beans come in different flavors, though!