To pit or not to pit
- Thread starter GotMilk
- Start date
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You will find folks who are on the pit as well as don’t bother camp.
* The argument for pitting is get the seed which contains cyanide out of the system and make it easier to press after steeping in the primary.
* I am a don’t bother type since it is an extra step and the pits stay together so there isn’t significant transfer of cyanide out of the seed and if leakage out of the seed was a significant toxic issue, they would be toxic coming out of the freezer, , , and I would be dead by now. I would guess the factory folks who make juice for the grocery market don’t add another process step either.
* My cherry is montmercy (pie/pH 3.0 to 3.4; TA 1.7 to 2.) which holds the acid notes well. My impression is that bing/ sweet give a low TA (0.7 or so) and are helped by adding more acid. Of course you could use straight juice and keep the TA up.
* The argument for pitting is get the seed which contains cyanide out of the system and make it easier to press after steeping in the primary.
* I am a don’t bother type since it is an extra step and the pits stay together so there isn’t significant transfer of cyanide out of the seed and if leakage out of the seed was a significant toxic issue, they would be toxic coming out of the freezer, , , and I would be dead by now. I would guess the factory folks who make juice for the grocery market don’t add another process step either.
* My cherry is montmercy (pie/pH 3.0 to 3.4; TA 1.7 to 2.) which holds the acid notes well. My impression is that bing/ sweet give a low TA (0.7 or so) and are helped by adding more acid. Of course you could use straight juice and keep the TA up.
Arne
Senior Member
Don't have a source for sweet cherries, but make pie cherry wine almost every year. I do pit them as when you leave the pits in they impart a bitter taste to the wine. It goes away after a long aging period, but without the pits I do not have to age the wine as long. Arne.
Thank you for answering. So I should pit some for a faster drinkable wine then age the balance. Steve
Arne
Senior Member
That is the way it has worked for me. Also I have an old fashioned cherry pitter and it goes pretty fast. Dump the cherries in the top, turn the crank, and the pits come out one way, meat and juice another. Arne.
