Does anyone make their own cherry pits?

[bbfarm]

Got a number from someone about getting cherry pits real cheap. We would have to dry them ourselves. We would get them right out of the cherry.

Not sure this would be more trouble than it is worth.

This would be a big truck load.

 

[glenc0322]

Is your venting set up to burn them?

 

[343amc]

Drying them without them starting to rot/mold is the problem. Most commercial outfits prepping them for fuel wash and kiln dry the pits. You'd need a lot of area to spread them out to dry.

My neighbor grows cherries and has a good sized you pick operation and pits cherries for his customers if they want. He dumps the pits out in the woods behind the farm. I thought about drying the pits for fuel then figured its just not worth it when I figured my time and space needed, and i was looking at maybe 200 pounds of pits, if that, after drying. That's $20 worth of fuel for a lot of time and effort.

Your situation may be different. You will want those pits bone dry before storing them.

 

[CT Pellet]

Got a number from someone about getting cherry pits real cheap. We would have to dry them ourselves. We would get them right out of the cherry.

Not sure this would be more trouble than it is worth.

This would be a big truck load.

This would actually be really easy and not too much trouble. You will need to wait on delivery until you have 7-10 consectutive hot, dry and sunny days in your forecast. Then, when you have them delivered, just spread them out, only a single layer high, evenly spaced apart, in your sunny, flat concrete pad. Then, throughout the day, turn each pit 1/4 turn every four hours and repeat this for the entire week. In the evening, cover the pits with cheesecloth to keep animals from getting into them. At the end of the week, bag the pits into breathable bags, (not plastic) and so long as the moisture content of the pits is below 8% or so, you should be ok. I will tell you that all six gray hairs on my head are as a result of cherry pits from circa 2005. Arrrgh

 

[3650]

8%..?....I think 14% would be ok.

 

[jrsdws]

It'd be nice to get a 5 gallon bucket of them and do some trials maybe. I wonder if you'd have to boil them or something to clean them before drying? Maybe putting some in a pillow case or something similar and throwing them in the clothes dryer for a little while would work? Perhaps if you just got them washed and was able to get them in gunny sacks and hung somewhere they'd dry enough?

I dunno...just tossing out ideas.

 

[bbfarm]

Yes venting & stove is rated multifuel. No concrete around here. I was toying with the idea of calling the feed mill to see what they would charge to put in their dryer.