To Dry Cherries

This recipe comes from Elizabeth Langley, an 18th-century Englishwoman active around 1757. During this era, the art of preserving fruits was essential for extending the harvest and providing a sweet treat through the long winter months. Drying with sugar was both a way to save food and to create luxurious, candied treats enjoyed by upper-class households. Cherries, ripening in early summer, were a precious seasonal bounty—preserved with care in kitchens bustling with both servants and housewives. Sugar, once an expensive commodity known as loaf sugar, would be purchased in large cones and chipped off as needed. The recipe reflects both the ingenuity and resourcefulness characteristic of kitchens before refrigeration and mass food production.

The original recipe would have been executed with a large preserving pan, usually made of copper, tinned, or sometimes brass. Cherries were stoned using a small knife or a specialized cherry stoner (if available). The modern equivalent would be a heavy-bottomed saucepan. The syrup would be drained using a sieve or colander made of wire or knotted cloth. Drying was done by spreading the cherries in a single layer on large, flat sieves or woven trays that could be set out in a sunny spot—often on the roof or in a dedicated dry room. A clean linen cloth aided in gently patting the fruit dry.