How to recycle cherry pits and stems?

With the strawberrieswhat a small pleasure to eat cherries during May. Sweet and more or less tasty depending on the variety, cherries are the star fruits of spring. Stop throwing away tails and cores that you can reuse. No waste and long live it recycling !

How to recycle cherry pits?

Once soaked in water and rubbed well, dry the pits in the sun. Here are some ideas for using cherry pits:

• as baking beads for baking a pie shell, replacing marbles in ceramic or in stainless steel. Line the pie dish with your dough, then cover everything with baking paper and place the dried stones. Once the dough is cooked, keep the pits in a box;
• as drainage balls at the bottom of a pot, to replace the marbles ofclay purchased in a bag. Lay out a bed 5 to 10 cm high and then fill the pot with soil. The cores will thus serve as a drainage layer and you will thus reduce the sessions ofwatering ;
• as a relaxing cushion or hot water bottle. Using a piece of cotton, make small cushions filled with cherry pits which, once placed in the microwave (less than a minute), will heat your pains muscles or, if you put them in the freezer (2 to 3 hours) will relax a inflammation ;
• as mulch, in large quantities. A layer of cherry pits at the foot of the plants covers the ground, prevents the growth of weeds and limit water intake.

Color that varies depending on the variety of cherries. © alicja neumiler, Adobe Stock

How to recycle cherry stalks?

When picking cherries, dry the tails, also called peduncles and keep them to make a infusion :

• soak 1 teaspoon in a 30 cl cup;
• leave to infuse between 5 and 10 minutes in boiling water, then remove them.

This fruity flavored infusion has properties diuretics and detoxifying. Consult your pharmacist for the effects and prescriptions.