In brief, cherry season is nothing less than a mini-celebration. This is especially true in New England, where fresh cherries make for a precious summer treat. The season's brevity makes it even more treasured, with keen shoppers racing to buy every cherry from local grocery stores and farmers' markets at the opportune time.

Hence, being at the right place at the right time is the key to make the most out of the cherry season. On this note, during a recent visit to my family in Northern California, I paid a visit to Chinchiolo Farm in Lodi and spoke to James Chinchiolo. As a fourth-generation cherry farmer owning over 40 acres of cherry orchards, Chinchiolo offered a wealth of knowledge on cherry preservation and pitting.

Chinchiolo explains that your storage method relies heavily on the source of your cherries. At his farm, cherries are picked by hand at dawn to maintain their fresh taste. If you're fortunate to live near a cherry farm, Chinchiolo recommends chilling newly picked cherries to keep them firm. After picking the cherries or buying them at a fruit stand, you must plunge them into a pot with ice water. The swift cooling helps to avoid unwanted mealiness and prolong their freshness.

Whereas, grocery store-bought cherries should be kept in their original packaging to prevent from fermenting. Whichever way you acquire them, it is imperative to keep cherries cool, ideally at 33°F. Chinchiolo suggests the back of the fridge as the coolest spot to store them.

Though cherries are typically harvested in the U.S. between May through July, managing to get them direct from the farm has never been easier, with the advent of cold packing. At Chinchiolo Farms, I witnessed the intense process involved in packing and shipping cherries to retain their freshness - I even managed to send a batch straight to my parents' house in Massachusetts!

For those who intend to freeze their cherries, Chinchiolo warns about pitting them before freezing. The freezing process makes it quite complex to remove the pit afterwards. However, thankfully, creative methods like TikTok hacks involve using a straw or chopstick through the stem area and pitting the fruit are speedily gaining popularity.

For serious cherry bakers, tools like the Quick-Release Multi Cherry Pitter from OXO that can pit six cherries at once, become invaluable. Regardless of your pitting method, the cherry season is one of those sweet seasons that just whizzes by – make the most of it!